Love thy Neighbor
by dL secret
Summary: AU InuKag In a city of sins, Kagome, the innocent girl, tells herself everyday that the reason she's still living in this dodgy apartment has nothing to do with her badboy, arrogant neighbor. She fooled no one.
1. Poster boy of Chivalry

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Poster Boy of Chivalry**

_**888**_

"Here we are little missy. That'll be $38.50 darling." The cab driver twisted his upper body and extended his hand.

Kagome's back stiffened slightly, peering through the fogged up window. Her fists clenched together tightly on her lap as she subtly drew in the coldness of the air through her nostrils. Her face contorted into a mixture of emotions that was indefinable to the eyes of the waiting driver and gradually, she let her back sag into a defeated demeanor. As if testing her luck, she held onto what little hope she had left and asked what she knew would inevitably lead her to this fate.. this cruel, _cruel _fate.

"Already?" she chuckled nervously, "My, I guess time flies when you're in the company of such a charming man."

The balding cab driver could only blush whilst rubbing his neck as a sign of modesty.

Laughing uneasily, either for an added effect or a way to calm her nerves, she asked, "Hm, are you _positive_ this is the right place? I mean, Tokyo is such a big city, I would completely understand if you've taken the wrong route and ended up here. Really, I don't mind if we go for another round, _just _to make sure that this is really the correct place, whaddya say huh?" She smiled a little too happily for comfort.

"Uhh.." The stubby little man scratched the top of his head as he looked at the nineteen year old with confusion, "I wouldn't normally pass up the chance to earn a few more bucks, but this is it kiddo, this is the place in all its glory."

Sighing in defeat, Kagome mumbled a thank-you and offered him a smile – or one that was _assumed_ to be a smile – and stuffed a few notes into his hand before saying something along the lines of 'keeping the change.' The driver did not seem fazed by her sudden depressed appearance and whole-heartedly wished her all the best as she effortlessly pulled her suitcase out of the cab.

She blew out a breath of air and watched as it evaporated into the harsh wind. Somehow, this had to be a sick joke. A joke that had gone way too far and that at any moment, her mom and brother would jump out of nowhere and tell her that 'independence was NOT a necessity to growing up and that even the IDEA of her living on her own was ludicrous.

She waited. And stared. And prayed.

Someone up there hated her. She understood that the moment she realized that no one was going to miraculously appear in front of her and save her from this situation. Fine. Whatever. If she was going to be dragged into this, she might as well be dragged in with as much dignity as she could muster. Tilting her chin higher in the air and pushing her shoulders back, she trudged her way through the thickening snow and marched into the lobby of the building she would soon call "home".

The apartment building wasn't anything glamorous or even impressive. In fact, it looked a little worn out, only sturdy enough to stand against the cold winds of Japan. However, what it lacked in appearance, it made up for in size. This was perhaps the largest building within the district, standing high and mighty against the smaller buildings surrounding it. With a sigh and a slumping of her shoulders, she concluded that this new arrangement would have to suffice.. for the time being. There was no way in hell she was going to stay here for any longer than needed. Once Kikyou was back from her monthly business trips, she was outta here. Yes, her cousin would back her up on this – unlike her traitor "family".

Reaching the lobby, a small smile graced her features as she relished in the warmth that surrounded her petite frame. At least they had a working heating system.

At least she still had her luxuries.

_**888**_

"Souta Higurashi, if you do not put mom on the phone right now, so help me God, I will dip that little head of yours into every toilet of the house and flush that good-for nothing brain of yours into the sewer!" Kagome managed through clenched teeth.

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try that sis – Oh wait! You can't, 'cause you're all the way in your new and _well furnished _apartment. Dammit. Maybe I'll schedule you in.. in let's say two years? If mom and I are lucky, three?" Her eighteen-year old brother laughed in the phone.

The vein pulsating against her temple popped that very moment as the blood rushed to her already red face.

Souta was almost certain that if he had strained his hearing a little more, he would've been able to decipher the 'teeth grinding' noise emitting through the phone. "You little wank-,"

"Kagome! How are you coping with your new living arrangements dear?" The warm and gentle voice of her mother's replaced the taunting sarcasm of her brother's. So maybe the dumbass of a little brother DID have a brain after all.

"Momm," Whining was Kagome's middle name. "You lied!"

"Kagome." Mrs Higurashi gasped, "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?! I'm talking about the Plasma TV, the spa, the hair appliances, the laptop, or should I say, _lack thereof_!" Her brown eyes scanned the identical boxes littered all over the lounge room.

A soft chuckle could be heard on the other line, the other woman in the conversation that was still sane replied, "Sweetheart, if you had all those with you, what difference would it make from you living at home? It would completely defeat the purpose."

Her hand gripped the receiver even harder if that was possible, "The purpose?! The purpose?! Mom, newsflash here, there is no point to all of this! The bargain was loud and clear, you said so long as I agreed, you'd keep the end of your bargain, which - let me briefly fill you in - was that I GET YO KEEP EVERYTHING I CHERISHED AT HOME! I cherish my plasma, I cherish my spa, my laptop, my bed, my room, and not to mention my lifestyle!"

"Look dear, I have a meeting in a few minutes, we're going to have to cut this-,"

"What did I ever do to deserve this fate? The world is conspiring against me."

"Sweetheart, don't you think you're over-reacti-,"

"Death would've been a more lenient punishment." Kagome had just gone into melodramatic mode.

"Look darling, I'd love to stay and chat but really, the client is getting impa-,"

"Why? Why? I'm a good person aren't I? I've never stolen from a granny. I've never kicked an animal. I've never killed anyone." And then Souta entered her awareness. "Not yet anyways."

Rolling her eyes, Mrs Higurashi spoke, "Kagome, this is exactly why you're living on your own now. You've become so reliant on material things that-," but Kagome was no longer listening. She was much too busy drowning in self-pity.

"Just let me die." She droned, noticing that the other line had just hung up on her.

"Traitor." She mumbled, placing the cordless phone down on the closest table.

In all truthfulness, the apartment wasn't actually too bad. Although small in size, it certainly provided a warm, if not cozy, atmosphere. The walls were painted a soft beige whilst the curtains leading towards her miniature balcony complemented the warm environment with a golden brown color. It was a very simple apartment really, one kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a small lounge. It neither brought a classical or modern feel to it – but it did manage to make Kagome feel slightly at ease.

Sighing for the umpteenth time that evening, Kagome bent down and decided to accept her fate as maturely as possible given the circumstances, and once again started to unpack boxes upon boxes of her things that were brought in before her arrival. This caused another onslaught of curses to run rampantly through her tired mind.

This was all a set up. All of it. Offering to have her things pre-delivered to her new home just to have her brutally discover at the last minute that only the necessities were brought to her – a scam! Shame on all the Higurashi's and all that had deceived her! Not even a hair-dryer! Now that's just cold man.

Just as she lifted a box that was clearly labeled with an orange highlighter 'Kitchen utensils', a thought coursed through her entire frame and shook her petite form. She froze as fear gripped at her consciousness.

Who the hell was going to prepare dinner for her?

_Shit._

_**888**_

After the fear had finally subsided, and her body was once again able to register to the orders of her brain, she grudgingly continued to make her apartment as homely as possible.

That was a good four hours ago.

The sun had set just after a loud slamming of her apartment door echoed through the hallway of her floor as Kagome roughly pulled off her scarf and rain jacket while simultaneously dropping all her "groceries" on the carpeted floor.

At first she was only joking about the world conspiring against her, but now, she was almost convinced that the Gods hated her. Within the three hours of intense labor of packing everything into her new makeshift home, she had managed to come across two hairy spiders – which obviously resulted in a loud screech, a slight jump and half a can of killer insect spray - three inches of dust – causing her eyes to go all puffy and red along with a dozen consecutive sneezes – and a rat. Well to say that she had dropped everything and dashed out the door was a complete understatement.

At least she took the opportunity to gather some groceries whilst she was out in public. So having briefly scanned the area, she had briskly walked against the cold air and hurriedly bought anything she guessed would be required in a nutritional diet, or at least something good from the five food groups. Chocolate, chips, cookies, candy and coke. Yep the five C's every household should have to feed a proper family.

So just as she allowed herself to believe that perhaps things weren't as bad as she had originally perceived them to be, it started to rain. Not just rained, it _poured_.

Having sprinted two blocks with four bags of groceries was enough to put her in a foul mood, that is to say, a really foul mood.

So here she was, back in the confines of her tiny apartment. It was 8.30 and still half the boxes were unpacked, still no dinner, still wet and a rat was still running freely around this hellhole. Excellent. At this point, with her luck, the rat was probably starting a family or something like that.

What was a damsel in distress to do?

After removing layers of wet clothes off her body, she was left with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her body nicely. Quickly, she rummaged through a box and grabbed a rubber band and messily pulled her wavy black hair into a high pony tail, letting some stubborn locks fall freely around the sides of her face. Next she snatched a box of cookies from one of the paper bags and put on her best smile as she reached for her door knob

It was time to call in the favors.

It was time to meet her first neighbor.

It only took her three long strides to land her directly outside a dark green door with a golden 13B in the centre. Softly, she cleared her throat, raised her right hand as her left grasped onto the box of cookies, and firmly knocked on the door.

A minute or two passed and still there was no answer at the door. With the soft murmurs of the TV from within the apartment, Kagome was sure someone was home, so she knocked again, this time, a little commanding. She didn't need to strain her ears to hear the aggravated voice of a male as a string of curses were heard even through the thick hard wood door.

A small victory smile made its way upon her delicate facial features before the door was violently thrown open.

There standing before her was a topless six-foot tall hanyou with a bored, if not a tad agitated, expression on his face. A pair of faded grey sweatpants hung loosely around his pelvis as droplets of water from his apparently recently washed hair made its way down his washboard six-pack. His golden eyes stared directly into the dark brown orbs of Kagome's as he kept one hand on the side of the door and the other hand on the doorframe.

Kagome's heart leapt at the godly sight in front of her but managed to keep her unfazed façade up. She was use to this anyways. With all the social events she had come across throughout her teenage years, she had met countless men who looked just has handsome as the man before her right now.

"Hi." Although there wasn't a specific tone behind the word, the way it was said clearly asked her what the hell she wanted. And boy was his voice sexy.

"Hi." Great. So much for keeping an unfazed façade.

All of a sudden, his bored face took on a more confused, albeit curious, expression, ".. Dana?"

_Huh? _"Um-,"

"No. It's Michelle isn't it? How's it going sweetheart?" With that, he crossed his arms across his bare chest and casually leaned against the doorframe, this time, with a small seductive smile.

By the simple smooth movement, Kagome was able to see his muscles tense and relax into his new position at the door.

"Sorry for not calling you babe, I've just been so busy with stuff ya know." He gave her a little wink and smirked a little more confidently. "So what brings such a beautiful lady to my humble abode?"

Clearing her throat and once against regaining her senses, Kagome found her voice, "I'm not Michelle." For some reason, she didn't feel the need to continue immediately after that. Perhaps she wanted to see his reaction after this, for whatever reason it was, she did not know.

Raising a naturally shaped eyebrow he asked, "Claudia?"

Mentally rolling her eyes, Kagome came to the conclusion that she was standing before the master of all playboys.

"I'm not Claudia, nor am I Dana. I'm actually-,"

Finally seeing the box of cookies in her left hand he pushed himself off the doorframe and said, "Well it was nice having that little chat then, but I'm afraid a person with my physique is not interested in buying any cookies." Smiling an obviously fake smile, he spoke, "Have a goodnight." And slammed the door in Kagome's face.

She stood there for a second, stunned out of her shoes. _What the hell? _Slightly embarrassed, and having never been turned down like that before, she was about to retreat back into the safety of her apartment when she realized the matter at hand.

_Curse that rat!_

Drawing in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders a bit and once again knocked on his door. She became somewhat nervous when she heard him growl in annoyance before the door was flung open again.

"I said I'm not interested okay? Or is it simply because you can't get enough of me?"

Oh.. my.. God..

He did not just say that! She could already feel the heat rising to her porcelain cheeks.

He took her stunned silence as confirmation, "Great. Excellent. I'm flattered." His voice was monotonous, like he had said this many times before, "But as much as I enjoy your company, my overcooked ramen is desperately calling for my attention, not to mention the game is about to start in three minutes, so if you're done looking, excuse me as I have a life to attend to." And just like that, the door once again slammed in her face.

She was so sure her face was about to explode with all the blood that was now rushing upwards. She even contemplated sharing her home with the rat and making it her new pet, but the idea of the evil creature giving her some kind of disease was enough to throw away her dignity as she gulped down her saliva and knocked for the third time that evening.

She winced when she heard him outright swear.

"Oh Jesus Chr-,"

"My name is Kagome Higurashi. I just moved in today. I live across from you. I thought I'd come by and say 'hello'," with her head down and her speaking faster than the speed of light, she failed to see the stunned look on her neighbor's face as she slammed the cookies into his chest, "I hope you like these cookies because they're my favourite. I'm sorry that the game starts in three minutes but I have a giant killer rat in my apartment and I was hoping if it isn't too much trouble that you could please get rid of it for me!" Hallelujah, she breathed again.

She kept her eyes fixated on the interesting floorboards below her as her fingers nervously played with the hem of her shirt. She cringed as she was sure that he'd just give her a weird look before closing the door on her once again.

And she was right.

The sound of the door gently closing resonated through the hallway. Well that was the last of her dignity. Sighing in defeat, her shoulders slumped as she mentally lectured herself that maybe sleeping with a rat running around wasn't that bad after all. However, as she slowly looked up, she was beyond surprised to see the Hanyou standing patiently before her, topless and all, sporting a smirk.

"As much as I love the idea of you mentally undressing me, I'd like to get back to the game a.s.a.p sweet pea."

It was like there was some kind of light shining down on him with a choir singing some holy song the moment he spoke. He was so handsome; he might as well be wearing a halo.

"R-right." Quickly she whipped around and entered her own apartment, cautiously leading him to where she had last seen the rat.

"U-um, there. That was where I last saw the rat."

Perhaps the Gods didn't hate her as much since she was lucky enough to come across a stupid rat. In the process of running around, the rat had gotten itself stuck in between two heavy boxes. Either the rat was dull, or it was just fat.

"Alright, go grab me a spare box will ya?" he asked, casually throwing the box of cookies to the side and peering down at the round killer rat.

Quickly returning with a box in hand, he reached for it whilst keeping his eyes indifferently focused on the "giant killer rat". In a swift motion, he forcefully kicked one of the heavy boxes away and instantly slammed the open end of the box down onto the rat, trapping it within the confines of the paper walls. Kagome gave a small cry and quickly moved as far away as possible while he lazily kicked the box outside of her apartment and into the hallway.

"Go give Miroku a call. He'll handle it." Without even glancing back at her, he started making his way back to his apartment.

"Wait! Whose Miroku?" she cried, cautiously looking at the box that was shaking violently on the floor. She knew that if given the chance, the rat would leap at her jugular – she just knew it, she saw it in his beady eyes.

"Just give him a call. He's on speed dial on every phone in this building. Wait for him until he gets here to get rid of that fat boy." His head nudged towards the direction of the rat at the far end of the hallway, and as an after thought he paused and said, "You might want to wear an extra jacket or something when Miroku gets here…um, maybe even dump on another pair of pants," before he returned to his apartment and back to the game that had already started.

With a sigh, she did exactly what she was told, although she had no idea why she needed extra clothing, and slid down the wall next to her door in the hallway as she waited for Miroku, whoever that was, to show up. Maybe this Miroku guy had some kind of skin disease or something, and any direct bodily contact with him could result in rashes. Ew. She was not looking forward to meeting this guy.

She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest as her hand grabbed her third cookie. She had waited a good half an hour and still, no sign of this Miroku. Her eyes were starting to get droopy even though it was only 9 o'clock, but the day's events had certainly taken a toll on her. Suddenly, a slight creak made her jump before placing a hand against her chest.

She looked up to see the silver-haired hanyou peeking at her through the slit of his opened door before fully opening the door and walking out, this time with a red shirt on, and silently sitting down next to her. "Aren't these my cookies?" he questioned, his voice neither playful or curious, just indifferent.

She flushed a crimson red and offered him a bashful smile.

"Um, I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving my life." Her eyes widened immediately. She did NOT just say that aloud. Great, she had gone from an idiot to a dramatic pansy – all in a day. At the rate she was going at, it was simply a matter of hours before he realized that she didn't even know how to make scrambled eggs.

A low chuckle came from the Hanyou. "Anything for some cookies right?" And to enforce his point, he shoved two into his mouth. He wasn't sure whether it was her melodramatic appreciation that he found amusement in, or the fact that she had actually heeded his word without question and as a result, actually dressed herself up like a snowball. Hell she even put on a scarf. Smart girl.

Too tired to laugh, she merely smiled. Then all of a sudden, it hit her. She didn't even ask.

"I don't even know your name." She tiredly said.

Smiling to himself, he replied, "That's coz you never asked."

There was a brief pause. "Oh." Was all her mind able to manage.

"It's Inuyasha." He lazily stole a glance at the girl beside him, wondering what kind of hole he had dug himself into.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned. Maybe it was because she had sounded so innocent or maybe it was because she sounded so tired, whatever it was, he silently found her rather… cute.

"Takahashi. Inuyasha Takahashi."

"Inuyasha Takahashi.." She slurred, slowly closing her eyes and succumbing to her fatigue, "It suits you." Softly, her head landed against his broad shoulder as she fell into a blackness of oblivion.

He shook his head and grudgingly acted as her makeshift pillow. He wasn't sure what propelled him to check up on her. The game wasn't even finished, not to mention, she was the very cause of his soggy ramen, but for some reason, he was relieved that this time, his neighbor wasn't some sexually active old lady flirting with him or worse, some old priest trying to purify him by randomly throwing ash at him at every opportunity.

Miroku better be here quick. His legs were started to numb with the added weight.

Sighing and leaning his head against the wall, he just knew that with this new arrival, his days of peace had finally come to its end.

She was going to be the death of him.

That, she had already proved herself worthy of today.

_**888**_

An: Too tired to think coherently, but thank-you for reading. This is the result of a 'spur of the moment' thing, so I'm not entirely sure where this is going to head, although I do have a vague idea. Thanks everyone for reading, you're the best! –Thumbs up!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc.**_

**Doll Secret**


	2. Elevator Business

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Elevator Business**

_**888**_

One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty-eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes.. and still, no Higurashis had managed to materialize before her to save her from this cockroach infested hellhole.

One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes.. and still, those beady eyes of that deadly rat burned freshly in her memory.

One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes.. since she met her savior.. the very same savior that had left her in the hallway for the _entire _night, letting her almost freeze to death until the early hours of the morning where she was woken by footsteps of residents walking past her curiously.

Noo. Life was absolutely beautiful. What more could she want? She had the lovely company of insects once in while popping in to say hi – never mind the fact that it causes her mild heart attacks- the heating system in the building working only when it felt like it, the hot water occasionally reducing its temperature just to get a screech from her, oh and not to mention her wonderful, saint-like neighbor.

Did she mention that he had abandoned her in a secluded hallway without even putting a blanket over her OR having the decency to wake her up! And the nerve of that man to take the box of cookies with him. For shame!

But you know, forgive and forget right? Much easier said than done. Perhaps if she hadn't of run into that Brazilian model in the wee hours of the morning with a pair of stilettos in one hand and a blackberry in the other with disheveled clothing and.. what do you call it? Right.. SEX HAIR, maybe she wouldn't have thought so "highly" of Inuyasha. That incident, three days after her fatal encounter with the rat, was something she wished not to remember.

The model had meekly said a soft 'hello' with that sexy Brazilian accent of hers, standing before her like some sun kissed Goddess, whilst Kagome Higurashi had a bag of trash in one hand – hoping to reach the garbo men before they collected the building's rubbish – with hair that stuck out at odd angles and PJ's that would've made a grandma laugh. Her mind was so hazy from sleep that the only thing she could remember thinking was 'kill me'. But then again, that was what she always thought to herself nowadays, so maybe she was just getting mixed up.

So here she was right now, tapping her foot impatiently against the carpeted floor as her hand gripped harder onto the phone as the electronic clock kept blinking its red digits at her.

"Souta Higurashi, if you do not put mom on the phone right now, so help me God, I will rip open your gut, pull out your intestines and personally feed them to Buyo!" This was not funny anymore, not that it was anywhere near remotely comical even during the early stages where the idea was just 'a thought'.

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try that sis – Oh wait! You can't, 'cause you're no longer living with us in our _mansion. _Dammit I was really looking forward to it as well. But like I said Kags, just three years, you'll get your chance." A full-blown laughter erupted from the other line and for some reason Kagome's right eye began to twitch.

"You little pri-,"

"Kagome! It's so nice to hear from you again. How is everything going?" The genuine happiness in her mother's voice almost seemed like some kind of mockery to Kagome.

"Well what can I say mom, my own blood have practically thrown me into a cage of starving wolves, but you know, other than that, life is fine and dandy." Every word was laced with venom and sarcasm.

Seemingly unfazed, Mrs Higurashi merely replied, "That's nice then. Look dear I have a very important phone call on the li-,"

"My days are limited. Sooner or later I will freeze to death in my own aparment." Her voice droned in a lifeless doll-like tone.

"Darling, your days are not limited, don't sat things-,"

"Or maybe the cockroaches will devour my mind, body and soul in my sleep.. yeahh," she added as an after thought, much like she was talking to herself, "that seems like it."

"Kagome, maybe you should call back later, I really need to pick up-,"

"If that doesn't kill me. Perhaps those girls keeping me from my sleep at night will end my life with their endless giggling in Inuyasha's apartment."

"Oh that's great sweetheart, well I really need to go now. I'll talk to you soon!" And before Kagome could squeeze in another guilt speech, her mother had changed lines.

_Dammit. She's not reacting to my bait! _

Carelessly dropping the phone on the couch, Kagome lazily walked towards the fridge, switching on the TV for some afternoon soap operas along the way, and grabbed the last can of coke. Great. Her food supply had inevitably run thin which meant that today was the day where she would once again have to venture out in the dark grey weather to collect the five C's.

It was four in the evening for goodness sake, yet the sky looked more than prepared to devour the city with its darkness.

Well there was no point in prolonging the unavoidable. So with what little determination she had left within her, she walked into her room and quickly changed into a pair of sweat pants before dumping on a random coat and tugging on a blue beanie. Not exactly dressed to impress, but it'll have to do.

Quickly reaching for her keys on the kitchen counter, she hurriedly left her apartment, hoping to beat the weather, which looked like it would rain soon.

Had she known that today would be her second encounter with her beloved neighbor, she would've happily stayed in her apartment to starve.

Standing outside the lift, with his back against the wall and his hands stuffed inside his jean pockets was none other than Inuyasha Takahashi, or what she liked to silently call him, 'Brazilian boy.' His large jacket made him look even more built as it was worn on top of a hoodie.

She subconsciously held her breath and paused for a second, before standing in front of him and as casually as possible, tried to ignore him as she desperately waited for that dinging sound of the elevator. The moment their eyes had made brief contact the instant she had turned the corner and saw him leaning ever so sexily against the wall, his eyes had not left her body as they began exploring on its own accord.

She fidgeted slightly under his intense scrutiny even though she had her back to him. But for some unknown reason, she was almost sure that she had felt him burning holes in her back with his gaze.

"Hello."

She nearly jumped out of her skin the moment his deep voice resonated through the stillness of the air.

"Hi." She stiffly managed without even turning around to physically acknowledge him. She wasn't sure why she was acting the way she was. But something told her to stay away from boys like him. Boys that liked tall Brazilian models and didn't even care to glance at anything less.

"Would you like to have some hot steamy sex in the elevator?" Although he kept his voice dead serious, there was a hint of playfulness.

To say that Kagome's eyes were larger than life did not give her enough credit. Her body felt hot all over and she was sure that every inch of her body was blushing.

Turning around abruptly, she screeched, "What?!"

Shrugging nonchalantly, he simply offered a cocky smile before saying, "Your loss."

Even if Kagome tried, she wouldn't have been able to wipe the incredulous look off her face. What in the world was this guy smoking? What was his problem?! Does he always go around asking random girls to sleep with him?

Although in the midst of all her disbelief and shock, some little voice in her head told her that his question was no more than a provocation.

And she was right.

Sure girls were nervous around him, his persona wasn't exactly the most approachable, but never had he come across a girl so frigid around him that he found himself slightly intrigued with this Kagome Higurashi. For starters he remembered her name, he was never too good at names. That was a good sign right? Whatever. Secondly, lately he had found himself wondering to the night he had first met her. He was neither happy nor concerned about his thoughts drifting towards his new neighbor, only perplexed at why he was even bothering with her. And lastly, he remembered finding her cute. He doesn't find girls _cute_. They were either sexy, hot or fine… not cute. For some reason, this thought got to him.. just a little.

Much to her relief, the dinging noise sounded as it signaled the lift had reached their floor. Her salvation. Whipping around, she walked in as gracefully as her wobbly legs would allow her to and simply stood in the far corner of the lift.

Inuyasha smirked a little as he gave her a funny look before hitting the 'ground' button. She cringed at her own stupidity for forgetting something as simple as that. So much for trying to mask her nervousness.

As if taunting her, he chose to stand right next to her and comfortably leaned on the black mirrored walls.

"Grocery shopping?" he glanced at her.

She simply nodded.

"Exciting." Funny, he was never the one who ever needed to initiate any form of conversation. "You should check out 'Robbie's', he'll have everything someone like you would need."

It was bait, but she didn't know it…yet.

"Someone like me?" She asked, suddenly slightly defensive. "And what would someone like me need?"

So there _was_ a tiger within those layers of clothes. For some twisted reason, he was pleased.

"Someone like _you _would need food, toiletries and the lot." He smiled innocently at her, "Just like _everyone_ else sweetheart. You don't need to be privileged to shop at Robbie's."

_Damn him! He was baiting me! Damn him and his witty remarks!_

She glared at him through her thick bangs as her cheeks took on a rosier color.

"Thanks for that." She mumbled through clenched teeth.

All of a sudden, he was standing directly in front of her with a hand lazily placed right beside her face against the wall. For a second, she thought that all he was going to do was stare intensely into her eyes. Was it just her or was this elevator taking its sweet time. And would it hurt to have some ventilation in here!?

"Do you know how hot that look makes me?"

She couldn't believe her own ears as she choked on her own saliva. Before she had the opportunity to retaliate or form any coherent defense, the elevator reached ground level and he was gone before she could even blink.

_Oh.. my.. God_

_**888**_

"Takahasi, you're late." A gruff voice sounded from the other side of the empty boxing stadium.

"And you're still alive. Where's Miroku?" He asked, approaching the balding man.

Dismissing both the effortless insult and question, the man simply pulled out a thick wad of cash and dumped it on the table as he continued smoking his cigar and calculating his earnings. "Here. This is yours."

Inuyasha looked at the pile of cash with some satisfaction before pocketing it into his jacket. "Those things are gonna kill you one day." He spoke, with absolutely no hint of concern in his tone whatsoever.

"You reckon I give a toss kiddo?" The reply was very half-heartedly as the man was more interested in the piles of cash stacked on his wooden table.

Shrugging, he looked around the stadium, hoping to catch that lecherous man, "You're right. I'd be more worried about your rotting teeth if I were you."

The man could only chuckle, "Not everyone is as vain as you are Takahashi."

"There's a difference between hygiene and vain. You for one certainly cannot distinguish between the two." Before he let the man further test his patience, he continued, "I never realized how much you appreciated my company. Had I known I would've called more often. But for now, _I'm not in the mood doll_, so would ya just tell me where the fuck Miroku is?"

"What kind of a fucken question is that? You'll find him next to the freshest piece of ass." And as an afterthought, he added, "And boy, if you're late for your next tournament, you can kiss your money up its ass." His eyes never once left the money spread accordingly before him.

"Sorry, but I'm not into kinky fetishes such as yours." Waving him off as he left through the large metal doors, he called back, "You need to get laid old man!"

_**888**_

The long trek back to the building was more exhausting than she had expected it to be, not to mention she was walking against the wind. Perhaps the prospect of getting her driver's license wasn't as unnecessary as it once was. Flipping her matted hair back, she turned the corner as she tiredly walked down the hallway towards her apartment.

How she didn't notice it before was completely beyond her, but as she raised her head, a thin blonde bombshell stood directly outside her door.

Sure Kagome had a few pretty friends, but this girl was more like a celebrity. There was no way she would be an acquaintance of hers. She'd definitely remember a face like that.

"Hi." And boy did this girl sound like she had a pole jammed up her ass. "Would you happen to know where Inuyasha is?" She asked in her perfect American accent as she looked Kagome up and down before finally smiling in satisfaction. With the way Kagome looked and dressed, she decided that this petite girl could not be a threat.

"He's out." If she could smack herself without the woman in front of her thinking she was a schizophrenic, she would've done just that.

"Yes. I'd figured that much." She had raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, "I don't suppose you'd know when he'd be back right?"

The way this woman spoke to her made her wish that she could just scream in her face and tell her that she was Kagome Higurashi whose family owned a goddamned corporation, and was not some pebble in her Versace shoes. If only everyone knew. No one would be talking to her like this.

But they didn't know. And she had no way of proving it. No matter, these people weren't worth her effort anyways.

"I don't k-"

"Hey baby."

Inuyasha smiled ever so seductively at the blonde as he pulled her into him and heatedly kissed her right in front of Kagome.

Whirling around, Kagome instantly fumbled for her keys not caring at that moment how idiotic or childish she looked. The kissy noises behind her were only amplifying her discomfort. Finally after many trial and errors, she managed to locate the correct key as she hastily pushed her door open and instantly slammed it shut once she was in the safety of her own privacy. She slid down her door with a puff before she strained her ears to hear what the "couple" were saying.

"Miss me that much huh?" Unlike Inuyasha, her seductive voice didn't roll off as naturally, or maybe she was just being biased.

"Mm." Whatever that meant.

"Hey baby, who was that girl before anyways?"

"Hmm?" My gosh, he didn't even notice Kagome at all!

"You know," she tried sweetly without sounding jealous, "that girl, the plain looking one." Her fists clenched at the idea of her criticism. She had no right. She didn't even know her for God's sake.

"Oh. Her." What was she to them, some kind of insect that they couldn't even hide the disgust in their voices? "Just some kid who moved in."

_A kid?! Who are YOU calling a kid?! _Their voices were harder to distinguish now as she was sure they had finally decided to take "matters" into his apartment.

How she had found Inuyasha good-looking was absolutely beyond her. He was no more than an arrogant, pig-headed, sex addict who was probably inadequately _equipped_. Not to mention that he's an inconsiderate prick with no common courtesy. Hell he probably only got rid of that rat because he wanted her cookies. Yeah that probably also explains why he came out afterwards and left her after her guard was down.

_ASSHOLE!!! _

If they thought they could trample over Kagome Higurashi, then they had another thing coming. She didn't need her legions of posses, she was more than capable of fighting her own battles. This was her time to shine.

Inuyasha would not know what had hit him.

And sadly… neither would Kagome.

_**888**_

A firm knock on the door violently jerked the raven-haired girl's attention from the TV screen. Turning the volume down instantly, she tried to pretend that no one was home, but the persistent knocking did not die down. Cursing mentally, she pulled her legs from beneath her on the couch and padded against the carpet bare foot.

Dammit! And it was up to the good part too. Diego was just about to find out that his girlfriend was pregnant with his father's child and that his mother was really his twin aunty who had stolen his biological mother's identity. Suspense!

"Alright, alright, I'm coming sheesh." She grumbled under her breath.

The knocking only stopped when she had opened the door. Secretly she had been praying to anything listening that it was her mother taking her home.

It was not.

"Kagome." He breathed, staring hotly into her chocolate orbs.

"I-Inuyasha? Um, yes?" What the hell did he want? Hopefully just a cup of sugar or something. Man, Diego was taking his shirt off as well!

"I-I can't stop thinking about you." He looked distressed, running his hand through his long silver locks.

Was this another one of his moment's, or did her ears deceive her? "E-Excuse me?"

He cringed, "Every time I kiss her, all I can think about is your sweet smiling face."

"…"

"I thought going out with little skanks like those models was what I wanted.. but it's not.. you're what I've been waiting for. You moving in is like destiny. Our roads have finally met.. Kagome." He leaned dangerously close now, and although Kagome was trying to back away, her legs would do no such thing.

_He was going to kiss her! Gross!_

"She's no good for me. She's not as smart as you are. Her smile doesn't fill my heart with warmth like yours does and most of all, she's not as sexy like you.. please, " he whimpered, "if it's the last thing I do.. please let me kiss you."

Her heart was beating so loudly that for a second, she thought she had actually heard the loud thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Funny, that sounded so real. OH MY GOD, HE'S GOT THAT CLOUDED LOOK IN HIS EYES! NOO!

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"Dammit, I know you're in there! So open this damn door!"

Kagome's eyes flew open, jerking from her slumber and falling off her two seated couch. She took a quick glance around her surroundings and found herself relieved to have only dreamt that.

"Come on man. I don't have all night. I've got some pretty ladies to attend to!"

Wiping her saliva from her chin, she grudgingly stormed towards the door and flung it open.

"Yes?" She gritted.

He was silent for a while. "Y-you're Higurashi?" the man spoke, gratefully giving her a once over.

"_Kagome_ Higurashi." Her glare only intensified.

Slowly, an appreciative smile dawned upon his face as his voice suddenly went an octave lower, "Beautiful name for a beautiful face. Very fitting." Offering his hand for her to shake, he continued, "I am Miroku – here to save a damsel in distress."

Although she made no movement to offer him her hand, he took it anyways and lovingly kissed it slowly.

She gave him a weird look before slowly pulling her hand away and discreetly wiped the area he had just kissed, on her shorts.

Miroku? The name sounded familiar enough. But who the hell was he?

He chuckled, although nothing funny had been said. In fact, NOTHING had been said, just Kagome giving him an odd look. "The rat?"

And slowly, it was all coming together.

"..That rat?" she hissed, "That," she forcefully poked his chest, "was," another poke, "a," and another one, "week"-

Before she could finish, he interrupted, "Ago? Yes well I thought you were a man."

That did not come out right.

"And you're feisty." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "That's hot."

Her face impersonated the color of a tomato perfectly before she glared at him, "Well I thought you were some old guy with a fat gut and hair oily enough to cook my eggs!"

"Really now." He scratched his chin, as if deep in thought, "That's certainly new, I'll give you that much." He finally diverted his eyes from the ceiling back towards her face, and then to her chest, and back to her face, "But I'm willing to give it a try – whatever turns you on right?"

This guy was definitely second on her hit list right after Inuyasha.

_Wait!_

Miroku, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Miroku. Two birds, one stone.

Perfect.

Clearing her throat and smiling at the perverted man, she began, "Well yeah, I guess so huh," his smile only intensified, "But about that rat. It wasn't exactly in MY apartment."

He looked confused, just a bit, "It wasn't? But the number I received was listed under your last name."

"Ah yes, I was just calling for someone else."

"Yeah? Well, beautiful face _and _a beautiful heart." He started to move a little closer now.

She only offered him an innocent smile, "Mmhm, see, I was calling for Inuyasha."

Jerking a thumb behind him, he gave her an odd look, "Inuyasha? But he ain't scared of-"

"This wasn't any normal rat. It was a giant killer one. Its eyes were larger than normal and..- and it even had fangs!"

"Woah!" Miroku jumped back ever so slightly, clutching a hand to his chest, "Fangs?!"

"Fangs." Kagome nodded calmly. "Poor Inuyasha, he's been so paranoid lately." And to dramatize her point, she sadly shook her head and longingly looked towards the Hanyou's door.

"Shit" Kagome heard her companion curse under his breath, "That's probably why he's been looking for me."

"Yeah," she drawled, not too sure by what he meant, "I really think you should go help him get rid of it – I mean, for his sanity's sake right?"

"Um, you mean now?" Miroku asked nervously.

She looked at him innocently, "Of course now! Poor guy's suffered enough!"

"But," he dragged, glancing back at Inuyasha's door, "He sounds kinda _busy_.. with _company_."

Of course, soft, barely audible moans could be heard, but that did not faze Kagome's plan.

Shrugging nonchalantly, she turned around, seemingly ending the conversation, "I don't know," she spoke in a sing-song voice, "He was traumatized the last that I saw of him.. said something about friends not being there for him."

"He said that? Inuyasha?"

"Poor guy really.." she let him contemplate for a second, "oh well." She sighed dramatically before shutting the door on Miroku.

Instantly she placed her right ear against the door and waited.

There was no way Miroku was going to leave his friend, especially in times of need. He was going to help his friend whether it killed him or not.

Turning around with a sense of patriotism, Miroku squared his shoulders and marched a few steps towards the Hanyou's door, ignoring the louder moans, and determinedly and consistently pounded the door.

Kagome slapped a hand over her mouth and suppressed the urging need to laugh as she toppled over herself.

Miroku's brow drew together slightly in determination. He wasn't going to laugh at his friend. He needed his help. The incessant pounding continued without fault. A giant rat with fangs wasn't something to be taken lightly of. He was going to save Inuyasha even if that meant being beaten to a bloody pulp by that rat.

Little did he know how true that statement was… only the culprit to his near death experience would not be due to a rat, but a half dog.

The clouds gathered as the little forest animals hid. The floor shook as a dark green door with a golden 13B crashed open.

"Inuyasha, I'm here for you."

_**888**_

An: To my reviewers… you beautiful, beautiful people. Thanks for reading everyone! Take care!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc.**_

**Doll Secret**


	3. The Morning After

**Love thy Neighbor**

**The Morning After**

_**888**_

"Slam his face down Inu!"

"Fucking kill him!"

Just two more minutes. He could hang on.

"Stop fucking around Inu! Just finish him off already!"

The voices barely registered in his hazy mind. A cool substance was running down his right cheek. Blood. He could smell it. His own blood. His eye hardly managed to open itself up as the vicious gash upon it firmly held it down.

There were hundreds of voices and thousands of eyes. No, he couldn't hear them, but he _felt _the intense atmosphere.

His vision began to blur and the simple act of standing upright was proving to be harder and harder by the second.

He could see him. The fucker desperately trying to get back on his feet. The adrenaline coursed through his body as it pushed his consciousness to block out any physical pain. He had gone way too far, and no one was going to get in the way. And that meant this fucker had to go down.

No fucking way would he allow this bastard to ruin everything he had literally fought for.

Before the opponent could even stand up properly, Inuyasha forcefully swung his body around as he powerfully back kicked him in the face, sending him flying out of the ring with a brutal snapping noise.

An enormous roar erupted from the stadium as viewers jumped to their feet. The arena shook as the walls vibrated against the heavy clapping and jumping.

Inuyasha felt someone abruptly grab his left hand before raising it into the air. If possible, the cheers only amplified. He was vaguely aware of what was happening around him as the only thing that seemed to register in his battered body and mind was the mocking victory. How he wanted to drown in it and let it slowly suffocate him.

He was quickly losing too much blood from the various cuts all over his body.

His breathing was ragged and becoming more difficult to maintain.

Finally his salvation arrived.

He blacked out.

_**888**_

"Inuyasha!" His triangular ears slapped down on his head against the shrillness of the voice, "Baby, you were so manly in there!"

Woah! What the fuck was suddenly attached to his waist?

"You were so cool! You got me all excited and stuff." Quite the extensive vocabulary.

Her brown eyes stared adoringly up at the Hanyou's face as her arms tightened around his middle. There was an awkward silence as Inuyasha's semi-functioning brain raced for a name. Maybe he had amnesia or something after the fight. Nah, he recognized the face, quite a pretty thing really, but not exactly stunning, so possibly some chick he had hooked up with at some after-party. Yeah, that'd be right.

Scanning her face and vaguely aware of her purposely pushing her chest into his, he smiled suavely. Well, she looked like a Betty, so Betty it is!

"Thanks Betty!" Dammit, he had overdone it with the false enthusiasm and now she'd probably never leave him alone.

Her brows knitted together, forming a somewhat confused expression, "Betty? But I'm Sachiko." She pouted.

Shit. Betty, Sachiko – what the fuck was the difference? A name is a name. She was getting a free grope wasn't she? What more did she want from him?! Greedy brat.

"Well," he pulled her a little closer and dipped his head a little lower, "Betty is a nickname that I made for you doll. I think it suits you beautifully." He convinced her with little effort as she giggled and rested her head against his collarbone.

Fuck, he was a Hanyou, not a machine. Did she not see him fight just an hour ago? He had only just gained consciousness thirty minutes ago and now, not only had she practically pounced on him but she was also resting her entire weight on him.

She sighed dreamily, "Inuyasha, when are you going to make me your woman like you had promised?"

He sputtered violently. Yep, definitely an after party and definitely drunk off his face.

_Get off me you leech!_

His eyes darted around for any signs of help, but realized that the only thing there was a pervert bent on both knees trying to suppress his laughter.

"I'm a bit busy today." He spoke a little too quickly, "Next time, I promise."

She pouted again and he mentally rolled his eyes, "But-"

"Yes it hurts me just as much, but it'll be more special if we waited. You understand right sweet pea?" Excellent, a bouncer was making his way towards them.

She was saying something but he had hardly registered anything as he mouthed desperately to the large man that he had no idea who this lunatic was.

Instantly, the bouncer strode towards the girl and effortlessly peeled her off Inuyasha against her indignant cries, "Ma'am, this area is off bounds, please leave without making a scene."

"But-"

"Nice seeing you Betty!" Inuyasha cried, "take it easy alright! And stay in school!"

He gave her a thumbs-up, and instantaneously bolted through the back doors, dragging Miroku by the collar.

Given the season, the sky was still a shady grey as Inuyasha and Miroku walked against the harsh slaps of the wind. The streets were starting to liven up as the early hours of morning was fast approaching. Steadily keeping his stride long and purposeful, the Hanyou walked briskly in front of the kicked puppy, otherwise known as Miroku.

The tension had become too much for the person who talked more than three women combined, hence the beginning of his second downfall. "So," he began as casually as possible, also failing to notice the slight twitching of his companion's left eye, "… great..fight."

Okay, so perhaps he sounded like a constipated parrot with a stick jammed up his ass, but for a guy with aching muscles, a twisted ankle, a somewhat permanent red hand print on his face, three broken nails, twenty-two scratches and not to mention a bruised ego, courtesy of Inuyasha – he was doing relatively well.

The Hanyou said nothing and only continued to walk as if his companion failed to exist. He was absolutely in no mood to make small talk at this given moment. His body was aching, his vision still slightly unfocused and not to mention the coldness around him and the fact that his car had been in service for nearly two weeks was enough to put him in a foul mood.

"So," He tried cheerfully, "what's on the agenda for today?" He quickened his pace to walk in sync with Inuyasha.

Still, no reply.

"Ya know, I heard about this new joint with a lot of pretty ladies," he spoke suggestively, "maybe we could drop by tonight-"

Before he was able to finish, Inuyasha paused in his step, looked him in the eye and spoke slowly as if speaking to a child. "You," he pointed at him, "want," he made another gesture, "to die?" he punched his fists.

Miroku swallowed thickly and numbly shook his head.

"Thought so." And he continued walking.

"Oh come on Inuyasha!" he exclaimed, "So I interrupted on your play time, haven't I redeemed myself already?" he asked whilst gesturing towards his battle scars.

"My intentions were pure. I really thought you had a rat with fangs in your apartment!"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Once again, Inuyasha stopped and whipped around to look at Miroku, "Since when do rats have fangs?!" he yelled.

Miroku's volume matched his, "You never know! The world is full of surprises!"

"What the fuck?! Some kid with legs tells you a story and you get sucked into every word she tells you! Because of you and your fucking dimwitted brain, I only had a few hours of sleep before the fight! Your dumbass judgment and her childish games could have cost me the fight!" He strode off instantly after the outburst.

Miroku simply followed, "Psh! You're just grumpy because _little Inu _didn't get much action before." He mumbled under his breath.

Inuyasha chose to ignore that.

"Quite frankly, I think you need to give 'little Inu' a rest. There's a healthy amount of sex, but there's also an unhealthy amount of sex – and you're well past _that_."

His eye twitched again.

"I for one, do not believe in too much sex. But YOU, my friend, are having too much sex." Did he even realize that he wasn't making sense? Apparently not, because he continued, "Look, maybe my interruption before was a blessing in disguise to save 'little Inu' from future problems. I mean, imagine you couldn't work 'little Inu" anymore!"

By this time, his fists were clenched.

"Just think of poor 'little Inu' not being able to stand anymore – he'll be a cripple!" It seemed like Miroku was talking to himself now as he shuddered at the idea of a crippled 'little Inu'. "Not even a kilo of Viagra could save you – your sex drive would be no different to an 80-year-old man."

Inuyasha tried to walk faster to lose this idiot, but Miroku obliviously kept up. Miroku looked thoughtfully into the dark sky and thought aloud, "I wonder how it'd feel to have a crippled 'little Inu'."

Something had finally snapped.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion and before Miroku knew what hit him, he was down on the concrete with a bruising left eye.

"Stop thinking about my penis and calling it 'little Inu'!"

The sound of a shopping bag falling to the ground was heard, followed by a gentle gasp. Inuyasha quickly looked up and immediately wished he hadn't.

There stood a family of eight, seven kids and a mom, all staring at him with their mouths agape.

Fucking great.

_**888**_

Kagome wrapped the thin blanket around her shivering frame as she tiredly walked around her new home with bed hair. Her digital clock read 7.16 am, which meant only one thing to the raven-haired girl – food. She grabbed the remote control lying carelessly on the couch and quickly switched the TV on. She let out a little sigh as the only thing on at the time were re-runs of last night's re-runs. Sheesh, how many times do they think the audience needs to watch it before understanding that Claire actually married her father's cousin's daughter's best-friend's worst enemy?

Apparently at least four times.

Her apartment was again freezing today. The heating system had decided to fail on her once more and now, she was desperately trying to heat up the place any way possible, even if it meant turning on all the stoves.

Her whole body felt like pins and needles and every movement she made hurt because of the stiffness her body was experiencing from the cold.

Up until last night, she would've cried at the given situation, but after hearing the door of her saintly neighbor's rip open, followed by a deadly roar of, "What the fuck do you want?!" before a "Woah Inuyasha! Pull the sheets up, I think I nearly saw 'little Inu" and finishing off with a string of strangled yelps – she finally saw that there were some up sides to this arrangement after all.

Although she was awoken by her oh-so-considerate neighbor at around two in the morning (wherever the hell he was going at that hour she couldn't care less), she had found the events earlier in the night something which she would tell her grandchildren about. Yes, she was mighty proud of her doings.

However, one night's events were nowhere near enough to deter her from what she did best. Whine.

So she grabbed her cordless phone whilst juggling to fill her kettle up with water and redialed the same number she had called twice a day every day of the week.

Her guard was up the moment she was connected through, "Souta Higurashi, if you do not put mom on the phone right now, so help me God I will-"

"Oh just give it a rest will ya… gees." Souta replied groggily before a half-hearted scream for a maid to call Mrs Higurashi was heard.

Kagome waited patiently for both the water to boil and for her mom to pick up.

"Darling, how have you been?" She sounded busy but still managed her trademark optimistic voice.

"Freezing to my death… it's very close now mom. My death that is." Maybe today, she'd try an ultra depressed tone.

"Oh you're so funny sweetheart. But I betcha you're loving it secretly." Whether she was teasing or actually being serious, Kagome could not tell.

"I'm just glad that you'll still have Souta when I'm gone. At least someone's there to take on the business after you."

"Oh yes, Souta is doing a fine job helping me around." Was she seriously that oblivious to Kagome's sarcasm? "But it's still a killer trying to get him to wake up early – which reminds me – Souta Higurashi, if you do not get up right now, so help me God I will fire even my only son! – Sorry about that darling. Now where were we?"

"My funeral plans." She stated simply, "I wish for it to be a simple ceremony with only people who loved me when I was alive attending.. I'm sorry mom, that excludes you and Souta."

"Oh that sounds nice, but dear I need to head to work now so-"

"I just hope that you'll never forget about your one and only daughter. Eldest daughter that is. Maybe I'll be reincarnated into someone more fortunate, at least someone with a loving family and a warm house to live in… yeah.. " she droned on, "I wouldn't want to be reincarnated into a cold-hearted, twisted, murderous, sadistic family.. I've had enough of that this lifetime already."

She wasn't even listening any more, "Really? That's great. So anyways, take good care of yourself. Gotta run sweetie. Bye!" And the conclusive clicking sound of the phone hanging up was heard.

She smirked a little sadistically when she placed the phone on the kitchen counter. Perhaps she wasn't so intent on leaving anymore and that the one week of living on her own had provided an invaluable experience for her, shaping her into a better reformed person… _or_ maybe the last of her sanity had finally snapped. That was more like it.

She tugged the blanket over her oversized jumper and excessively baggy pajama pants as she plopped herself on the couch, still waiting for the whistling sound of the kettle. Even though she wouldn't ever admit it, she had developed an addiction for soap operas. It was just too wickedly dramatic to not love. It had become her only friend since moving in, seeing as though she had no job, well she _did_, until her mother thought she wasn't being productive enough. _Someone _had to make the coffee and deliver the biscuits right? _Even_ if it meant it had to be the CEO's daughter!

A sturdy knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. She glared at the door, hoping that the intensity might penetrate through the thick wood to the early intruder. Who the hell could be awake other than herself?

She grumbled lightly and grudgingly dragged her cold feet to the door.

Her blood froze once the door opened and her eyes landed on her neighbor.

"Morning." He said in that husky voice of his.

This was it. She was really going to die. He had found out about her little joke and had finally decided to murder her in cold blood. It would be so easy. He was so large. A little poke would be enough to send her flying out the window. She was certain he was here for his revenge. Kagome could see it already.

Newspapers across Japan will soon have a picture of her smiling brightly on the front page and in bold font say, **Tortured to death**. The article would talk about how she couldn't even scream throughout the ordeal and that her left arm was still missing from the scene. Her apartment would be drenched in her blood as every inch of the area would be covered in red. Her mother and brother would blame themselves and claim that 'she was the most beautiful person to have graced this world. She was smart, intelligent and kind. No one could deliver coffee and cookies as well as she did in their board meetings.'

The article would also go on to say that the family was so distraught that everything that they had built was slowly crumbling because Kagome was what held them together, the heart of everything. Without Kagome, their business, life and money meant nothing to them. Mrs Higurashi would beg for forgiveness for sending her away and her brother would cry to the point of no return.

And then there would be her 'innocent and heartbroken' neighbor. Inuyasha would feign concern and sadness as he would tell the newspaper that he 'would've never in a million years expected something so cruel to happen to someone as gorgeous as Kagome.' He would also continue by drastically cursing the cold-blooded killer before crying for an added effect.

She could see it. This was it – the look in his eyes was maniacal.. pure hatred.

………..

…………

He looked at her boringly as she fidgeted on the spot. "Right." He mumbled under his breath, "Once you're done staring at my sexy manly body," he spoke monotonously, "would you mind turning the volume down. Normal people are still trying to sleep."

She could only gape at him, not only because she wasn't going to die, but also because of the fact that he was standing in front of her with only his red boxers on.

He raised an eyebrow at her when she still failed to reply.

"Uh.. you okay?" he asked a little nervously.

Wasn't he cold? Was it just her or was his apartment seriously radiating off warm air. No way, the heating system wasn't even working! But she was almost 100 sure his apartment was ten folds warmer than hers.

He looked at her a little weirdly now and cautiously took a step away from her, "You're not, possessed like those exorcist chicks are you?"

She numbly shook her head and stared longingly into his apartment. How she craved for the warmth.

He followed her gaze and smirked a little as he realized what she was looking at. He leaned in towards her face and spoke huskily, "Would you like me to give you a tour around my joint?"

When she didn't reply and only looked questioningly up at him, he continued, "Because you look kinda cold in here. I can keep you warm in my apartment if you like – and I'm not talking about the ducted heating."

He cupped the left side of her face and said, "Are you getting as excited as I am?"

This seemed to snap her from her confused state as she gave a little screech before jumping away from his touch and slamming the door in his face. Her hand clutched her chest as she tried to steady her breathing and calm her flaming cheeks. Finally it hit her full force that she had just had a conversation, if you could call it that, with an almost naked Inuyasha!

An almost naked Inuyasha.. with bandages and a bruised eye?

She shrugged it off, _Probably got caught with someone else's Brazilian model girlfriend._

But boy was he sexy. She sighed and walked towards the whistling kettle, too bad he was a little on the crazy, unstable side, he really was quite easy on the eyes.

_**888**_

The instant he was met with the slamming of the door, his face broke out into a grin. It was just too easy to get that girl squirming and blushing, yet something at the back of his mind told him that _he_ was never truly the culprit of her uneasiness, but the _situations_ he placed her in. As he walked back into the warmth of his apartment, he couldn't help but linger on that idea for a little longer.

Closing the door, and walking back into his bedroom for some well deserved sleep, he thought about all the encounters he'd had with the girl. Four in total by now, and in all four, she had sputtered like a school girl.. maybe she _was_ a school-girl for all he knew – she did seem rather _undeveloped _in certain areas – or maybe she was just flat-chested compared to his model flings.

He crawled tiredly under the covers and allowed his aching body some relief as he relaxed into the comfort of his bed. She was fairly plain looking, almost unattractive compared to some of the women he had come across, yet funnily enough, she was possibly the only girl who..

_Who what? _He questioned himself. Who hadn't thrown herself at him? Given him a second glance? Try to catch his attention? Blush at the simple idea that he was merely looking at her?

She had done neither of those.

This was unsettling.

Maybe he was losing his touch with women… nahh, can't be it. He'd just had a very beautiful blonde in his bed not too long ago. So what the hell was it?

His exhausted mind refused to let him think coherently as he was beginning to fall asleep. His final thought concluded that it didn't matter, after all, she was only just a neighbor.

_**888**_

"Hello, this is Miroku, the building's maintenance guy speaking." He sounded exactly like those survey people on the phone.

"Hi, um, something's clogging up my drain, sooo, I was like, wondering when exactly you were gonna come in to look at it."

"Right. What's your surname sir?"

"Hiko." The man stated.

"Right. Okay, have you got any daughters, any at all?" Miroku asked in the most professional manner.

"Umm, I'm not married."

"Right right right. Any sisters maybe?"

The man was really confused now, "Um, no?"

"Okay then, _any _females at all living with you?"

"Not that I know of. I live by myself."

Miroku rolled his eyes. This man could've told him that from the start to save him time, but no, he wanted to be difficult. Which reminded Miroku to remember to switch Kagome's heating system back on at ten o'clock according to Inuyasha's strict demands. He shook his head at Inuyasha's pay back. Like the perfect gentleman, he was opposed to the idea in the beginning, but after the safety of _'little miroku' _was threatened, he was all for it.

"Right." Miroku spoke, acting like he was jotting this information down, "I'm afraid I won't be able to come in to organize for a plumber to fix this for you for another, let's see, two weeks."

"TWO WE-"

"I'm sorry, could you hold please." Pushing the red button, Miroku picked up the call waiting, "Hello, this is Miroku, the building's maintenance guy speaking."

"Hey I'm calli-" before the gruff male voice was able to continue, Miroku interrupted, "I'm sorry, please hold."

"Hello, this is Miroku, the building's maintenance guy speaking."

"Hello," finally, much to Miroku's pleasure, a female voice, "There's something clogging up my drain, I was-"

"Yes okay. I understand. I'll be right up there in a second. Now may I please have your name?"

There was a brief pause before she spoke, "Aoki. Sango Aoki."

_**888**_

An: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading guys – really, it means a bunch knowing that I'm writing stuff that people actually read. And to people who take the time to review – well, like I said last chapter.. you beautiful, beautiful people.

The rating will go up to 'M'. Yes, shock. The amount of sexual innuendos in my chapters is enough to drown us all. But there are never _too many _sexual innuendos when it comes to Inuyasha.. right ladies? Right!

So take-care everyone! And may my imagination and motivation allow me to update soon!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc. **_

**Doll Secret**


	4. Noises at Night

_**Love thy Neighbor**_

_**Noises at Night**_

_**888**_

"No you don't understand Inuyasha, she was beautiful. More than just beautiful, she was like an angel sent from the high heavens above to grace me with her magnificent presence in-"

"-this hideous hole we call home? Quite fitting."

Miroku paid him no attention, "It's like it's meant to be, you know, like Romeo and Juliet and-"

Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned against the mirrored walls of the elevator, "the way they died? Romantic."

"And the fiery passion in her eyes just screams for attention… _my_ attention." He sighed dramatically.

"Attention Deficit Disorder. Sexy."

Miroku finally looked at him, a little frown on his face, "You just don't understand-"

"No I don't actually," He interrupted indifferently and still with his eyes closed, "I don't understand a few things really."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"Well, for starters, I don't understand why you're wearing a polka dot tie."

"Professionalism." He countered smugly.

"Oh yeah? The boys back there thought you looked more like a crossbreed between a monkey and a Chihuahua with an umbrella rammed up your ass and cologne strong enough to wipe out an entire species and your face looked like a baboon's butt."

"They said that?"

"……………………………………………….yes."

Miroku gave him an unconvinced look as he justified himself, "Those men know nothing about true love and romance. They think watching two guys beat each other to an inch of their lives is true love."

Inuyasha smirked, "Fair enough."

There was a brief pause as the elevator reached level 6 and both men exited the lift. Inuyasha was the first to break the silence as they walked down the secluded hallway, "But what I really don't understand is-"

"-love at first sight? Undying love? My loyal devotion to women?" They now stood directly outside of Inuyasha's apartment.

"-why the hell you've followed me to my apartment?" he growled.

Miroku laughed good-naturedly and smacked his friend on the shoulder, "Oh come on Inuyasha, you just got paid for winning the fight, knowing you, you're probably dying to shout me dinner-"

"-no."

"-and so I'm here to tell you as your manager and apartment maintenance guy, that I generously accept your offer."

"Oh how very generous of you. Remind me to thank you for letting me pay for pizza."

"Pizza?! I thought we're gonna have lobs-"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha hissed, quickly turning around from his door before eyeing Kagome's door.

Miroku also looked towards the door curiously, if not slightly confused.

And then they heard it. A male's voice.

"Kagome, come on, just let me put it in will ya?" The voice sounded urgent, somewhat desperate too.

"No," she whined, "It's so unhygienic, I don't even know where it's been." A knowing smile grew on Miroku's face but Inuyasha's remained unreadable.

"Well then fine," The male sounded frustrated, "You put it in yourself then."

"NO!" Miroku barely managed to stifle his laughter, "I don't wanna touch it! It looks.. it looks slimy.."

"Come on, stop being a baby." The male voice spoke.

"I'm not being a baby! This is my first time; I know it'll be uncomfortable for me. All my friends have told me it kinda hurts at first."

"Yeah but the discomfort will go away, and after it's in, it's all smooth riding from then on."

Miroku quickly slapped a hand over his mouth "Holy shit!" He whispered.

"I don't know, maybe we'll do it another day." She offered. "I'm just not ready yet."

"Look, just touch it okay, and you'll see how soft it is. It won't hurt. It'll just be a bit uncomfortable at first."

She tried to argue, but he got in first, "How can something this small hurt you?"

Inuyasha smirked a little, but Miroku out right laughed before he or is unimpressed Hanyou friend could stop him.

They froze… And then quickly snapped around to charge into Inuyasha'a apartment. The silver haired Hanyou stumbled with his keys as Miroku stood closely next to him desperately urging him to open the door.

"What was that?" The male voice questioned.

"I dunno." Their voices were getting closer and still the right key was unfound.

"ComeonComone Inuyasha" Miroku frantically whispered.

"I'm fucking trying!" Inuyasha hissed back.

Too late.

"Um.. hi?" her gentle voice spoke.

They slowly turned around. There standing in the door way was Kagome sporting a curious expression and a taller man, looking suspiciously similar to Kagome, in a sleek black suit… and a contact lens on the tip of his index finger?

Before either any of the two eavesdropper had a chance to say anything, the man in the suit spoke up, "Look sis," he said as he grabbed for the contact lenses' container, "you're gonna have to big a big girl now," he said in a childish voice, "and put your own contact lenses in your own eyes," he put the lens back to its rightful place, "because we grown ups," he mocked, "need to go home and prepare for the board meeting we have bright and early in the morning!" He was too enthusiastic to be comforting.

Grabbing his suitcase off the couch and trying to ignore Kagome's deathly gaze, he said, "Call me when you have a real problem!" and stormed down the hallway.

Failing to acknowledge the bemused expression on the two men's face, she screamed, "You show some respect to your elders Souta Higurashi, or so help me God I will rip that Armani suit into threads and shove 'em down your throat!"

"I'd like to see you try _sis_!" She could no longer see him as he had already turned the corner, "And by the way, you need anger management!"

This time, her face had gone all red, "What makes you think I'm angry!!"

With that said, she stormed into her apartment and slammed the door so hard, Inuyasha was certain that the floor shook for a moment.

Miroku spoke up first, "That was…"

"..Hot." And Inuyasha smirked.

_**888**_

It was well past midnight, although Kagome was unsure of the specific time. She gripped onto her blanket even tighter as she felt a trickle of cold sweat run down her temple. Her knuckles, due to her grip, had turned white and her nails dug painfully into her palm. She dared not move, for she believed that any movement could trigger some sort of an attack on her. Her breathing was shallow and her heart was beating painfully fast.

There it was again. That distinct scratching noise against the wall.

Kagome winced whilst trying to bite back a sob. She felt the edges of her eyes begin to water from the panic and tensed all over. It was at this point where she begged for any kind of noise from Inuyasha's apartment, but her silent pleas went by unheard. Shivers ran hastily up and down her spine and whilst her hands and feet felt numb, they also felt clammy from the sweat.

Now she started to regret watching all those horror movies when she was younger. She regretted begging her grandpa to tell her about the unsettling myths of the deaths of Mikos. But most of all, she regretted being coaxed into living on her own. This had to be illegal. Her basic human right was not just infringed, but trampled upon. Shame on all the Higurashis!

This time, the scratching noise was a little louder. She was so sure that if she strained her hearing a little more, she'd be able to pick up on a twisted voice breathing her name in a sadistic sing-song voice.

_Shut up Kagome! Do you really want to pee your pants?_

With all the courage her little body could muster, she steadily grabbed her blanket before abruptly jumping out of her bed and blindly ran out her bedroom and towards her door screaming, "I'm too young to die!"

_**888**_

The intensity of the music and screaming pounded through the arena as random cheers were thrown out. The atmosphere was foggy from whatever the hell people were smoking, and suffocating from the mass of people. The place was in a frenzy as the two men fought desperately for victory.

The air was thick with the smell of booze, smokes, blood and even sex.

This was underground Tokyo in all its glory.

Far off in the stadium, up on the second level in a spectator's box, Inuyasha and Miroku studied the fighting style of the competing men.

"Amateurs." The word slipped out of Inuyasha's mouth unknowingly.

"You'll be fighting one of them." Miroku stated simply, but seriously.

They didn't talk for a while as they closely observed every movement the fighters made, hoping to memorize every flaw within their actions.

Miroku spoke, but barely looked at Inuyasha, "Takinji, 24 years-old, powerful in his attacks but slow to defend. His has an injury to his left ankle but his fists are what bring in the cash."

Inuyasha nodded to himself.

"Jiro, 19 years-old, although moderate in strength, his speed makes up for it. His kicks or punches probably won't do you serious harm, but his swiftness can leave you dead beat."

There was a momentary pause before Miroku spoke up again, "Jiro is probably the one we should worry about."

When he received no response from the Hanyou, he continued, "Whilst Takinji relies solely on his brute strength, Jiro is cunning in his tactics – watch how he's beginning to tire Takinji out."

"I've heard a lot about you, and you really do quite live up to your reputation, _Miroku_."

The sound of the familiar voice caused Miroku to turn around and stare in shock. Inuyasha also turned around to the voice and watched with amusement. "S-Sango?"

"In the flesh." She replied proudly. Her sleek black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a few strands falling against the side of her face, creating shadows that better defined her face structure. With very natural make up and casual clothing in a place like this certainly made Sango stand out amongst the layers of foundation, eye shadow, mascara and 'hardly-there' clothing plastered on a good majority of the female there hoping to catch the eye of certain fighters.

For a place like this, she looked too relaxed for Miroku's comfort.

"But.. I mean.. you.. What are you doing here?! This isn't a place for a lady like yourself!"

Inuyasha's interest only grew at the discovery of the woman's identity. So this was the new chick on the block Miroku was talking about.

Miroku approached her and grabbed her by the arm forcefully, "Get out of here! I'm serious, this isn't a place for you."

"And what's that suppose to mean?" She hissed back dangerously.

But Miroku was not fazed, in fact for a moment, Sango wondered if this was the same lecher she had encountered in her apartment not too long ago, "What I mean is that you should leave before I _make_ you leave." His voice was low, even dangerous.

Her beautiful brown eyes glared back at the man as she was about to give him a piece of her mind, "I'll have you know, that my father use to f-"

"Inuyasha… it's been a while." A venomous voice interrupted.

His body tensed and anger surged through his veins before he bit back the rage and forcefully smirked, looking towards the man, "Naraku. It's good to see you too."

Inuyasha stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he clenched so tightly that he was able to feel the coolness of his own blood tainting his skin.

The man laughed a cold laugh and looked at the girl and Miroku, "So how is my top fighter?"

Inuyasha was barely able to force a laugh, "What can I say, you trained me well." _You fucking bastard. _

"I knew you were gifted the moment I saw you." Naraku spoke simply, as he too, looked out through the clear glass at the two fighters. "I haven't been able to find anyone else able to meet the standards you have set." He turned away from the fight with bored eyes and walked towards Inuyasha and patted his shoulder, "You've made me proud Takahashi."

Inuyasha did not reply to that, but merely held his breath begging to whatever was listening for Naraku to leave before he lost control of himself.

"The big fight is exactly one month from today." He paused briefly before intently looking at the Hanyou, "Inuyasha, you better make sure you get to the championships, I have put a lot of-" he caught himself before he could finish, "Just make sure you get there." He countered coldly.

He turned to leave without a farewell, followed by his legions of bouncers, and Inuyasha was grateful for it. He didn't know how long he was able to contain himself. He was lucky this time – although his hands were really bloody by now.

"Inuyasha." Miroku simply said his name. Whether it was out of acknowledgment or a question of his sanity, he wasn't sure, but Inuyasha seemed to understand.

"I've seen enough for tonight." His voice was cold, even ruthless, "Let's go Miroku." Without even waiting to see whether he had followed, Inuyasha left.

_**888**_

It was four in the morning which meant the sky was still pretty much pitch black when Inuyasha made it back to the building. He wasn't sure where exactly Miroku was, nor did he really care. He winced ever so lightly as he felt an oncoming headache.

Too many thoughts bombarded his senses as he frowned and slowly walked out of the elevator. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he begged for some sort of relief. He hated, despised, moments like these, moments where even he knew he was more vulnerable than usual. As he was approaching his apartment, he looked up and immediately his eyes widened a little in surprise.

Sitting outside and leaning on the frame of his door was none other than the raven-haired girl wrapped up in her smiley faced blanket. Her head was bent low as it leaned against his door.

As he bent down on both knees to her level, two loud cracking noises were heard, yet she still did not budge. He smiled a little at this and reached out his right hand to softly shake her. Again, much to his displeasure, he found himself thinking of how cute she looked right now. For a brief second, he felt something weird stir from within him but was unable to put a finger on it.

Had she waited for him? But why?

Instantly her body jerked and her eyes flew open in alarm. He nearly lost his balance at the sudden movement, but managed to keep his poise as if she had not scared him for a second.

She merely stared at him before her mind was able to register that her neighbor had returned. For some funny reason, relief washed through her as if a bucket of water had just been poured over her head.

He had never been as handsome as he was right then. He was finally back, which meant she was not alone again. And at the back of her mind, she knew she was safe.

"You're in my way wench."

And then again, he had a knack to destroy every perfect picture her mind painted.

"Oh." Was all that she could manage as she awkwardly picked herself up.

He too stood up and looked down on her, "Well?" he asked somewhat impatiently.

"Huh?"

"Do plan on going back into your apartment, or are you just gonna wait for me to go inside so that you can lean on my door again?"

"I uh-" she wasn't exactly sure of what she expected. It was just a spur of the moment thing that had ended up with her falling asleep in the hallway.

As her eyes traveled nervously everywhere but his face, she unfortunately managed to catch a glimpse of his blood covered hand.

Her face was quickly drained of any color and she felt the early stages of nausea begin to consume her.

"Y-your .. " she trembled as she started to point, "Your.. hands."

His eyes instantly darted to his injured palms before quickly hiding it behind his back. She seriously looked disturbed.

"W-what happened?" she breathed out, still staring at the same position his hands were before he tucked them behind himself.

"It's nothing." He replied gruffly although she didn't look fazed at all.

"Oh.. okay… you might wanna bandage it up.. or something..."

"Keh. It's just a scratch.. and plus, even if I wanted to, I don't have any bandages at home." He crossed his arms, unknowingly, and looked to his side.

With the bloody hands in her line of sight again, Kagome cringed, "I don't have bandages too.." she became thoughtful for a while.

"I didn't a-"

"But I have bandaids!!" she almost screamed as the realization hit her.

He could only stare in astonishment at the ever-changing personas this girl took on.

"You wait here. I'll go grab them for you." She ordered.

Before she reached the door, she halted in her step.

"Um, on second thoughts," she blushed when she peeked at him from under her bangs, "would you mind coming in with me?"

He raised a curious eyebrow at her.

If possible, she blushed even harder, "I-It's just that.. I uh.. heard noises.. I KNOW that sounds childish.. but I also..I also don't like the wind much, so I guess that what I'm..like, trying to say is uh-"

"You're scared." He finished for her, hiding the amusement in his voice.

"I-" she tried to deny it at first but simply nodded in the end.

For a split second, he felt something stir inside again, something dangerously close to his-

"Sorry, the bandaids! Right!" quickly she turned around and opened the door without unlocking it since she didn't lock it when she bolted out before.

He tiredly followed her and realized the moment he walked in that he was seriously sleep deprived when he closed the door.

"Just wait here." She called out, vaguely pointing to the couch.

She was calling out random things, but barely anything registered as he was slowly succumbing to his fatigue.

"Found them!" she raised the bandaids into the air like a trophy before sitting herself next to him and grabbed for one of his hands.

He looked up at her and momentarily forgot about his tiredness. It took everything in her to not pass out from the amount of blood.

Her face started to pale again, and this did not escape his observation, "You alright?"

"Huh?" she glanced at him, "Oh, yeah. I'm just.. not exactly the best person with blood – If it's a bit of blood, then I can _just_ manage to stand it. But anything more than this," she gestured to his hand with her chin, "I'll pass out. I can't even watch it on TV. I suppose it's a phobia, or something along the lines of that."

He hesitated for a moment, "You really don't need to do this you know."

"I know."

A comfortable silence passed between the two before she signaled for the other hand. He complied without speaking and continued watching her face and realized that it took every ounce of her willpower for her to not faint.

A soft smile graced his face, but was quickly replaced with an indifferent expression when she looked up at him.

He closed his eyes for a while after she looked back down at his palm and simply concentrated on his own breathing.

It was the seventh bandaid the moment she felt a soft pressure applied to her left shoulder. Gently moving her head to glance at what it was, she realized that Inuyasha had fallen asleep, leaning almost all his weight on her with his cheek resting comfortably in the crook of her neck.

She thought about waking him, but decided against it as she, this time, grudgingly sighed and slowly as to not wake him, leaned back into the sofa. Well at least most of the blood had either been cleaned off by her or covered up by the bandaid.

His breathing was hypnotic as she found herself listening intently at each breath he took, and gradually she let the heaviness of her eyelids close shut.

The last thing she remembered doing was draping the smiley-faced blanket around them both before really falling asleep as she rested her cheek against the top of his head.

Little did she know what would be in store for her when morning came.

Had she known, she probably would've let him bleed to death.

_**888**_

An: I apologize for this chapter but I just couldn't seem to change much of it. This is one of those _'boring-but there to move the story along'_ chapters. Really, it was the inevitable – I tried people, I tried!

…oh how I tried.

_**Disclaimer: Don't own nothing**_

**Doll Secret**


	5. Up Close and Personal

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Up Close and Personal**

_**888**_

Somewhere in the hectic city of Japan, in a worn out building, on level six, apartments 13b and 13c, there was finally peace and order for what would have normally been slamming of doors, screaming in hallways and loud soapies.

Perhaps one of the occupants of either said apartments were drugged in their sleep, kidnapped by a secret government agency, and shipped off to Antarctica for genetic experiments – the residents living around their rooms certainly hoped so.

The lovely buzzing noises of an awakening city was once again heard for the first time in two weeks. The birds whistled happily as the laughter of children echoed through the cheerful chatters of both women and men. The aroma of freshly baked bread and grounded coffee breezed through the crisp morning air, adding that extra 'oomph' to the glorious day.

Today was perfect. The sun was up and the temperature had risen a bit. Nothing could destroy this perfect picture….

…… that was until an earth shattering scream reverberated through every wall of every room on the blessed level six.

_**888**_

Thin rays of sunlight peeked through the heavy curtains of the dark room, gently hitting Kagome's face. She cringed ever so lightly at the brightness intruding her closed lids. Her body ached a little as she struggled to stretch her stiff muscles and slowly, her eyes reluctantly opened.

Somehow, sometime during the night (or morning), Kagome's body had been shifted and rearranged into the position she was currently in. Sleeping on the inside of the couch with her face facing away from TV, her back leaned comfortably into a muscular chest. A thick mob of silver hair clouded her vision for a moment before her mind registered that a head was resting in the crook of her neck.

Warm puffs of air was breathed onto her neck and down her back as she felt a pair of lips pressed softly against her shoulder. Sleep was still clouding her judgment, and would've perhaps best remain that way.

A leg was draped heavily across her own thin legs whilst a firm arm was wrapped around her waist from beneath her. Slowly, the haziness of sleep was beginning to leave her and her mind was able to function properly.

The moment she was aware of her surroundings……. was also the moment she felt a clawed hand cupped around her right breast from beneath her shirt.

The waters parted, the forests shook, lightening flashed as the little forest animals hid.

She screamed.

"YOU RAPIST!!"

Inuyasha's eyes flew open before he tumbled to the floor and wobbly jumped to his feet. His amber orbs barely managed to focus and the sudden quick movement triggered an oncoming headache. He winced unnoticeably for a brief second before trying to steady himself. He couldn't even begin to guess what, where and why this shrilly voice had screamed, hell, he wasn't even sure of where he was.

"Wha? Wh.he-" Inuyasha's head darted left to right as he mumbled incoherent words, obviously still clouded from sleep.

Kagome reached for the nearest thing as she too leaped off the couch, and threw whatever was in her hands at the silver-haired Hanyou.

Had Inuyasha been more conscious of his surroundings, he probably would've laughed at the state Kagome was in. Her raven hair stood out at odd angles with her body glowing bright red. Her pajamas had somehow rearranged itself on her body with the hem of her pants riding just below her chest and her top twisted awkwardly to the side. "YOU RAPIST! HOW COULD YOU?!" She screamed as the remote control whacked him over the head.

This seemed to waken him slightly, though he still looked confused and still in a fighting stance.

"What the fu-" before he could finish, a magazine slammed into his face, jerking his head backwards a little bit.

"YOU RAPED ME YOU PEDOPHILE!"

It was a known fact that the Gods above hated Inuyasha Takahashi, which would therefore conveniently explain his fucked up life so far. But _this _was totally pushing it. Rape. Pedophilia. Like someone with his blessed good looks would need to resort to such sick and drastic measures. _Please brother_. If Inuyasha could, he would've flicked his hair dramatically like those shampoo ads on TV and moved his neck side to side with a 'talk to the hand girlfriend' motion.

"WHAT?!!" But he chose to stick with the alternative option of complete and utter shock and disgust. Inuyasha wasn't sure whether it was the idea of him even _touching_ her that disturbed him or the belief that _he _needed to resort to forcing a girl. Whatever the hell it was, he still couldn't get the 'wide eye – are you for fucking serious you insane witch?!' look off his face.

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE PREGNANT!" She cried, blindly throwing random objects at him.

The same look was still plastered on his face, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" He yelled, dodging multiple flying pens.

She was beyond listening now, "WHAT WILL I TELL MY MOM!"

"NOTHING!" He impatiently cut in, "I DIDN'T RAPE YOU, YOU DUMB GIRL!" If he could, he would've dramatized his point by thrusting his finger against his temple, but he couldn't, his body was set into 'automatic self protection' mode, dodging solid objects thrown in his direction, and vaguely aware of the importance of keeping his hands positioned safely in front of his family jewels.

"YOU'RE A SICK BASTARD!"

His eyes widened as the trash can came hurling his way. He dodged it, but was amazed at her accuracy and strength, "AND YOU'RE FUCKING DELUSIONAL!"

"I'M ONLY 19 YEARS OLD!" she wailed, resorting to awkwardly throwing cushions at him now.

"YEAH! THAT'S LEGAL!" It was only meant to be a justification of their legislation, not their situation.

"SO YOU'RE ADMITTING THAT YOU _DID _RAPE ME! YOU SICK PEDOPHILE!" She reached for a vase and instantly his eyes widened.

"NO!!"

"Hey! What the hell is going –" sadly, before Miroku knew what hit him from the doorway, Inuyasha had ducked and the last thing Miroku saw was a pretty vase flying strangely fast towards his head.

_**888**_

Holding an ice pack above the multiple bandaids, Miroku glared through a slightly swollen face as he spoke, "Let's all sit down like civilized people and talk this through." He hissed.

"He took advantage of me." Kagome stated bluntly, glaring daggers at Inuyasha.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the wall furthest away from where both Miroku and Kagome were sitting on the couch. "I have my standards!"

He didn't even know where to begin explaining himself. The frustration of the entire stupidity of this situation was ludicrous, and to make matters worse, the single most perverted lecher was the one playing the mediator. Was this mockery at its best or what? And damn it, why did he even feel the need to explain himself anyways?! Jesus Ch- they were fully clothed!! Had this girl not been educated about the whole concept of the birds and bees theory? Poor soul.

"Now now Inuyasha, let's not be personally att-"

"You were holding onto my breast!" Kagome stood up in anger.

"Woah!" Miroku bounced back slightly on the couch, "You dawg Inuyasha!" he smirked perversely, no pun intended.

Yep, definitely there for his perverted reasons only. Mediator my ass.

Although Inuyasha had no idea what she was talking about, he refused to step down, "_That _was your chest! I might as well be grabbing onto Miroku then!"

As much as the idea of him holding onto Miroku repulsed him, he refused to let it show through his demeanor. So he had resorted to his childish tactics, but it worked right? Surely the wide eyed, mouth agape, disgusted and insulted expression meant something!

A little gasp escaped her.

"God, I feel so violated." Inuyasha whined, wiping his hands on his pants. "Gotta disinfect." He mumbled as an after thought.

Kagome was shaking with rage as her fists clenched together tightly and her eyes grew to slits. This man was beyond impossible. "You," she spoke dangerously, "just can't admit that you secretly like me." Her words were so forced that even she knew she sounded robotic.

His eyes bulged as he choked on his saliva, "Fantasizing about a stud like myself is one thing-" a cough came from Miroku, "but to really believe _that _is just plain delusional!"

There was a moment of silence before Miroku decided to speak up, "So, judging by the fact that you both still have your clothes on," For some odd reason, there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. Bastard. "I don't see how Inuyasha could've engaged in any sexual activities with you-"

"-like I'd go for her anyway."

"-so do you have anything else to say Miss Higurashi?" He had continued without even acknowledging Inuyasha's interruption.

She paused for a brief second and then gritted out, "…yes."

"Oh, don't look _too _excited doll."

She took in a deep breath and attacked, "YOU ARE SINGLE-HANDEDLY THE MOST EGOTISTICAL, BIG-HEADED, PERVEDTED SEX-ADDICT I'VE SEEN PREYING ON LITTLE GIRLS BECAUSE ANYONE ELSE WITH EVEN A BIT OF COMMON SENSE WOULD NEVER TOUCH YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE TWERP WHO I BET IS COMPLETELY INCOMPETANT IN BED WITH A MINITURE PACKAGE AND IQ, WHICH THE SIZE OF YOUR STUPID HEAD MAKES UP FOR!!!"

She was panting by the end and her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink. Miroku could only stare in amazement.

Inuyasha walked towards, clearly invading her personal space when he stood so close to her he could hear even her heart beat quicken, "Jealous much?" he smirked, arms crossed in front of his chest, "Too bad _you'll _never get to see my _package_. Nineteen's too _old_ for a 25 year-old like me." And just like that, he walked out of her apartment.

The look on her face was priceless. It was a cross between utter disgust and shock, and for a moment, Inuyasha thought to himself that if there were one thing he could change about this entire ordeal, he would've made sure he had a camera.

_**888**_

"Hey Miroku, where's the tie at today?"

"Yeah Miroku, you looked _hot _with that tie!" A few cat calls and whistles from the taunting men were called out once he and Inuyasha stepped foot into the almost empty, save for a few amateur fighters, stadium.

Only until midnight would the stadium fill up with party animals. Generally the people would easily be categorized into either one of the four different groups. There were obviously the fighters, who attracted most of the attention and entertainment. And then there were the kids from the wrong side of town, either victims of family abuse or kids too high on dope to be accepted in society. Next came the crazy party-hard ones, mostly consisting of twenty plus year olds looking for a good lay or a good drink up. And last, but definitely not least, were the rich, powerful and dangerous, pretty much like the mafias of every other society, only the ones in _this _societywere much smarter, much harder to handle by the authorities and much more psychotic.

Miroku turned towards them and smiled, "Sorry gentlemen, I'm flattered, maybe even a little curious, but I don't do guys."

"Fuck you Miroku!" One of the men said half-heartedly whilst flipping him off.

"No thanks."

"Jin!" Inuyasha called out, "Just the sorry ass I was looking for."

The man rolled his eyes as he juggled his cigar with his mouth, "Can't you leave an old man and his money in peace boy?"

"I thought I made myself pretty clear when I said I wanted this place all to myself at two."

"It's 1.55pm!" He gestured animatedly to his wrist watch. How the hell he was able to read the time with all those diamonds on it was completely beyond Miroku.

"It's 1.55pm," Inuyasha mocked in a high-pitched voice, "does it look like I give a shit! Tell these wankers to flex their muscles somewhere else!"

"Now look here boy, you can't just barge in here like you own the place. I run this fucked up hole and I run it any way I damn well want to!"

The old man expected a retaliation, an insulting comeback, even an angry explosion from the cocky fighter, but when he was met with silence and a contemplative Hanyou standing in front of him, he felt somewhat uneasy. "Fair enough." Inuyasha shrugged, "I s'pose I won't be training today then."

As horribly eerie as it felt for Inuyasha to step down just like that, Jin merely allowed himself to believe that just for a day, this grown man can actually act maturely. "Glad you see things my-"

"Miroku," he interrupted offhandedly, "Could you give Naraku a call, just tell him I won't be able to fight in the next tournament-" He knew it was way too good to be true. Inuyasha was a spoilt child, always has been and always will be. Everything just always had to fall _his_ way, act in _his_ favor, work around _him_. It was a 'me' world for the fighter. He was so self orientated that Jin knew that if Inuyasha wanted to the spell the word 'Team' with an 'I', he would get away with it.

Swiftly, Miroku flipped his phone open and started dialing.

"WAIT-" Jin tried to intervene.

But Inuyasha carelessly continued, "Tell him we had a bit of a.." he paused for a second and pointedly looked at Jin, "_problem_. Also tell him that what ever profit lost through this round will not be compensated by anyone….. although if his lackeys are, let's say a little… frustrated about not getting paid, they'll know exactly who to look for."

Miroku looked up at Inuyasha and feigned innocence, "You mean Jin right?"

Turning around at the balding man, Inuyasha smiled enthusiastically, "The one and only!"

"Alright fellas! Go flex your muscles somewhere else! This place has been booked up!"

"But Jin-"

"Just shut the fuck up and leave will ya?!" Jin nearly spat out his cigar from the anger at looking at the two "fuckers".

Miroku flipped his phone shut, smirked, and looked at a very smug Hanyou.

Jin glared at the silver-haired fighter, "You're nothing but a spoiled brat d'you know that?"

"Love you too Jinny!"

_**888**_

"So," Miroku started as he stretched back lazily on the benches, "did you?"

Inuyasha's brow furrowed in determination as sweat dripped from his forehead and everywhere else on his body. His foot collided powerfully against the punching bag but failed to move it as it weighed heavier than any normal punching bags. His heavy panting echoed throughout the emptiness of the stadium and every kick he made resulted in a dull thud.

"Did I-" Another kick, "what?"

Miroku only smirked perversely, "Touch the girl." He tried not to sound too taunting or else Inuyasha might just ignore him like he'd done so many times in the past. Sometimes he felt so unloved.

"I don't do children." He panted, never once taking his eyes off the red punching bag.

Sporting a bored look, Miroku yawned, "She's 19." He replied bluntly.

"Same shit."

"She's quite nice to look at." Miroku offered innocently whilst daydreaming at the ceiling above him.

This caused Inuyasha's gaze to flicker towards his lecherous friend for a brief second, but his concentration remained in tact, well almost.

"A bit on the too skinny side if you ask me," Miroku droned on, "not very womanly yet… pretty face though. Big eyes, full lips, nice skin, high cheeks. Spicy personality too, don't you agree Inuyasha?" He looked over at the panting fighter curiously.

"Mm." He grunted back, and continued kicking at the bag forcefully.

"What's 'Mm'? 'Mm' as in yes? 'Mm' as in no? Or 'Mm' as in 'shut the hell up coz I don't care'?"

"The third one." They both spoke simultaneously which resulted in a laugh from Miroku.

"You're so predictable my friend."

Inuyasha merely smirked before he forcefully jumped and back kicked the punching bag, much like the way he knocked out his previous opponent, ripping it off the thick hook and slammed the bag against the wall right next to his manager. Miroku froze with his jaw agape.

"Still predictable lecher?" Inuyasha smirked whilst grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat from his body.

"No." He gritted through clenched teeth, "I forgot to add psychotic, unstable and YOU NEARLY KILLED ME!"

"You were talking shit, what d'you expect?" Inuyasha shrugged.

"Talking about Kagome Higurashi hardly calls for the need to kill me." He sulked.

"Whatever. So when am I fighting that kid?" He aimlessly threw the towel over his shoulder and walked towards the benches before sitting down.

Miroku sighed. If Inuyasha really wanted to hit him with the bag, then he would not be sitting upright at this moment. "In two nights. And after that – provided that you win – you'll have three more fights before the finals.." he trailed off slightly and Inuyasha knew exactly what was going to come out of his mouth next, it was always the same.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I don't have any other choices. You know that." He clenched his fists.

".. I think you do.. you just don't want to acknowledge them." Miroku replied, losing his cheerful and laid-back demeanor.

"What's so bad with what I'm doing right now anyways?" He tried nonchalantly, "I get the shitload of cash. I get chicks throwing themselves at my feet AND I have the single most perverted manager anyone could ever ask for."

"You forgot to add, intelligent, witty and wickedly handsome." Miroku continued on. That was pretty much Inuyasha's way of dismissing the subject entirely.. once again.

Had it been a year ago, the argument would've raged on until both were literally on their feet screaming at each other. In a funny sense, Miroku would've much preferred it that way. At least they weren't pussy footing around anything and everything that needed to be acknowledged were laid out on the table.

There was still hope back then, still a spark of fire in Inuyasha's eyes. But that fire had long been blown out, and Miroku could only stand and watch as his Hanyou friend chose the self-destructive route. The only thing left for him, not as a manager, not as a friend, but as someone who understood and accepted him, was to follow him along the chosen path.. until the end.. the end where the path would only be wide enough for Inuyasha.

And when that end came, Miroku could only hope that he wouldn't be tossed to hell straight away.

It was like Inuyasha had given up all hope in life, only playing with the cards fate had dealt him – not even attempting to challenge it anymore. But Miroku couldn't blame him, after all, he was only a kid back then when his life and future crumbled before his childish, innocent eyes. Sub-consciously sighing, Miroku thought about the good ole days where at least their arguments weren't as pointless, where at the very least it didn't amount to the same gut-wrenching sense of hopelessness. But no matter how many times Miroku tried to convince himself that perhaps there was still time to deter Inuyasha from his chosen path, he knew he could only kid himself for so long.

Really, it wasn't an argument anymore, so many things were left unsaid, so many issues they had to tiptoe around. But perhaps it was easier that way, for both himself and especially Inuyasha. He glanced at the fighter who now looked deep in thought. He truly hated bringing the topic up, but could never bring himself to simply ignore his instincts, especially when it involved Inuyasha's –

"Peanut butter jellyfish."

This snapped Miroku out of his daze as he looked up at Inuyasha questioningly.

He shrugged, "S_omething _neededto grab your attention."

_**888**_

"-And what's worse is he thinks he's some kind of God, flaunting all those models around him thinking _Ooh look at me, I'm a man whore – _no, don't even try to defend him, I am NOT exaggerating, give it two years, he'll become a full fledged molester by then, yes," she spoke into the phone, "you heard me. Oh Oh Oh, did I mention that he just _loves _to walk around topless, give it three years, he'll become an all out porn star, yeah that's right, a porn star."

She panted a bit, but managed to continue.

"Now, you know that I'm not a mean person, but I really do hope that someday in the near future, hopefully tomorrow, a truck will run him over and kill him, and then he'd be like _oh Kagome I'm dying please save my pathetic life_." She imitated into the phone in a girly voice, "But if that doesn't happen I might have to take matters into my own hands – No don't worry, I'm not gonna commit murder or anything stupid like that– maybe just poison his food now and then, deform his pretty face, remove certain parts of the male anatomy and just the nitty gritty stuff. _Anyway_," she breathed again, "hope you get back soon, call me when you get this message Kikyou! Bye!"

She placed the phone down on the kitchen counter and quickly lunged for the remote control. Today's episode was about Marco (but pronounced in that very thick and sexy Italian accent) finding out that his own brother had developed a sick love for his aunty.

As soon as the theme song started playing, Kagome sang along with it into the remote control before a gentle knock interrupted her. Blushing a little, she walked over to the door and opened it only wide enough to peek through the slit.

"Er.. hello?"

_Good. Female voice. Not Brazilian Boy._

She opened the door fully now and stared at the tall slim woman standing in front of her. Great, possibly a model girlfriend of Inuyasha's coming to start a bitch fight for sleeping with her man. But this girl looked different. She looked less artificial, more genuine and definitely more pure than the rest of the girls she'd encountered.

"Hi," the girl spoke confidently, albeit nicely, "I'm Sango, I just moved in here. I live down the hallway from you."

"Oh." Kagome replied politely, "Hello, I'm Kagome."

"Well," she smiled, "just thought I'd pop in to say 'hi' and-" she suddenly paused and Kagome gave her an apprehensive look.

"You okay?" _Oh no! Maybe she IS brazilian boy's lackey coming to get revenge for him! Crap! Think Kagome, think. Maybe if I subtly close the door now – NO! – she might have a gun OR she might just burn the place down. Hurry think! Look at her, she's probably trying to sniff out any scents in my apartment so make sure that I'm well and truly alone if she attacks. Why God, why me?_

She seemed somewhat curious of what was behind Kagome's door.

"You wouldn't be watching 'Love city' would you?" she asked curiously.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and smiled like a child now, "Who _isn't _watching that these days?"

Sango broke out into a smile and asked, "Mind if I join you," she laughed embarrassingly, "TV's not plugged in yet."

"Only if you think Jordan should be with Brooke and not Lucky." She glared playfully.

"Oh please, I hope Lucky dies in that plane crash or gets eaten alive on that unknown island."

"Welcome aboard my friend."

"Oh and _you _better think that Logan is hotter than Diego." Sango shot back with a question as she casually walked past the raven-haired girl.

"Oh by miles." Kagome flicked her wrist. "Do you think Danielle is prettier or Gabriela?"

"Hm." Sango scratched her chin thoughtfully as she sat herself down on the couch, "That's a tough cookie. See I always thought Danielle was the sexy kind, you know, kinda hot and bitchy – independent woman type, whilst Gabriela is all elegant, sophisticated and calm type."

"Yeahhh." Kagome agreed animatedly, "That's what I thought too!"

"Well you know the saying, great minds think alike."

"Oh and how hot was Jonathan when-"

They both spoke simultaneously now, "he jumped into the ocean to save Brooklyn?"

And just like…… they started laughing like hyenas.

.. Not to mention that, that was also how their great friendship started.

_**888**_

An: I hereby solemnly swear, that I, Doll Secret, is not, will not and never will be obsessed with soap operas.

BTW – My 'one-shot' will be posted tomorrow. I know, I know, I said in my bio, today, but I lied okay.

_Reviewers, give yourselves a pat on the back and a round of applause! Readers too!_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own anything!**_

**Doll Secret**


	6. Neighbor Crasher

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Neighbor Crasher**

_**888**_

_"Inuyasha." The cold smooth voice spoke through the phone._

_The was a momentary silence, "…………………………………..I'm sorry, you have just reached Inuyasha's voicemail, please leave a message after the tone. Beep."_

_"… Little brother, as much as I enjoy your imitation of a woman's voice, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep you transgender fetishes to yourself." _

_"My God!" Inuyasha gasped dramatically, "Will everyone please remain calm. I repeat, will everyone please remain calm. Hide your children and duck for cover, Sesshomaru has just pulled a joke. I repeat, please remain calm!"_

_"Are you finished?"_

_"Yeah, just about." He replied smoothly. "So what has my asshole of a half brother called for?"_

_"For you to cease acting like a moronic bastard, but perhaps I am asking for a bit too much there."_

_"I don't know, you tell me." Inuyasha could almost swear he heard Sesshomaru roll his eyes from his childish reply._

_"Do you intend to behave this way for the rest of your life?"_

_"Yes." He smiled smugly. Even the word was full of smugness, and Sesshomaru was able to detect it. _

_"You think this will annoy me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you think it's working?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Would you believe me if I told you that it was working?" he continued to ask calmly._

_"Yes."_

_"Sure?"_

_"Yes." Still Inuyasha kept up his childish charade. _

_"So you will baby-sit Rin for me today?"_

_"Yes. – WAIT! N-"_

_"Good, she'll be there at four." And just like that, Inuyasha had fallen into those conniving, deadly traps Sesshomaru was famous for – yes, attacking Inuyashas when they were weak, dying or too smug to realize the damn FUCKING BAIT!!_

_Curse you Sesshomaru! Curse you to hell!!!... bastard.._

_**888**_

So here he was, desperately trying to block out the oncoming headache as he monotonously pictured himself ramming his head into his wall, or better yet, Kagome's door just to piss her off. Yes, quite appealing. If only he could just slip by unnoticed, then maybe-

"Unkie Inu?" Her sweet childish voice asked for the twenty-sixth time within the five minutes.

"Yes?" He replied dully, his lids half closed.

"Papa Sesshomaru said that you're a half-demon-"

"…"

"-and half woman," she failed to acknowledge his sudden look of disgust at her 'Papa', "and that secretly, you'd loves to become a full woman. But Rin thinks that you look like a boy." And for a reason completely beyond Inuyasha, Rin started gnawing on his knee.

"That's great." He replied nonchalantly. There wasn't a time where he felt more cheated or bored in his entire life.

"Papa Sesshomaru also said that one day your head is gonna go _kaboom _because you're a bad person who preys on innocent grannies crossing the road and that you secretly record them and that you would help them cross the road just so that you could cop a feel and that if you could, you'd watch them all day… what does that all mean?" she asked innocently, staring up at the horrified expression.

"I'm hungry." And as if to reinforce her point, she rubbed her growling stomach and already discarding the previous question.

Rolling his eyes and taking a deep breath, he looked down at her, "Pizza will be here soon."

She vaguely nodded as she twisted her body awkwardly to watch TV. When Inuyasha told her to make herself comfortable, it didn't cross his mind that she'd choose to cling to his left leg like something had grown off it. Her arms were wrapped securely underneath his knees and her little legs were crossed around his ankle.

So now, he was stuck sitting on his couch watching some cat chasing after a mouse with an over excited child bouncing on his leg every time she laughed at some pathetic shit like the cat getting brutally slaughtered. Knowing Sesshomaru, he'd probably trained Rin to hate all animals except dogs.

"Unkie Inu! Unkie Inu! The doorbell, the doorbell!" She bounced excitedly.

Completely ignoring the fact that there was a child attached to his left calf, he stood up and walked to the door, Rin and all.

After a few awkward silences and weird looks, mostly coming from the delivery guy, Inuyasha dumped the money into the boy's hand and slammed the door in his face.

"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" She chanted like some kind of mantra, yet still clung onto his leg.

"Sweetheart, you're gonna have to get off Unkie Inu's leg if you want to eat."

As much as Inuyasha hated to admit it, he had a soft spot for this kid. Perhaps it was because he could at any time blackmail Sesshomaru with her, or better yet, manipulate her to turn against Sesshomaru (although after two years of trying, he had amounted to nothing as of yet.) Nevertheless, he had a feeling that it was because of the fact that Sesshomaru had found her as a newborn in the dumpster that he had silently promised that if he ever found Rin's "parents" he would rip them to shreds, that was to say if Sesshomaru didn't get to them first.

After a maximum of five bites into her first slice of pizza, she carelessly placed it back in the box and declared that she was full. "I don't wanna watch TV no more."

"Anymore." He automatically corrected, "So what do you want to do?" he reluctantly asked, knowing full well that he'd hit himself later for it.

"Umm," she looked thoughtful for a second, "I wanna play with your hair!"

_Definitely one of Sesshomaru's spawn!_

"Nah, that's not fun. I can think of something better than that!" He tried enthusiastically as he reached down to carry her and began making his way to his bedroom, "It's called, 'who can keep their eyes closed without saying a single thing for the longest time without moving'."

She gave him a skeptical look, "That doesn't sound fun."

"Really? But that's Papa Sesshomaru's-" he visibly shuddered at having to utter that name, "favorite game."

"Really?!" she bounced excitedly in Inuyasha's arms, "Okay, I'll play!"

"Alright, well" he put her down on his bed and pulled the covers over her, "when I count to three, the game starts, so remember, no talking, no opening your eyes and no moving. Got it?"

"Yes Unkie Inu!"

"Clever girl." he ruffled her hair as she gave him a big toothy grin before he counted to three.

Once the 'game started' he silently crept out of his room and closed the door behind him. He let out a breath of air that he didn't know he was holding and quickly grabbed his jacket lying on the kitchen stool and swiftly exited his apartment. He wouldn't be long, an hour maximum. He just needed to collect his car and probably grab something for Rin to snack on later.

Little did he know that Rin only had a 20-second attention span.

_**888**_

Kagome gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Although barely visible, her body shook at the anger coursing through her veins. Her patience and sanity was close to breaking point as she fought the urge to scream in frustration.

After all this was over, this sick joke that her family had decided to pull on her, she was going to seek therapy, it was the inevitable now. She glared at the door as the banging from her neighbor's entrance had failed to cease. He was doing this to spite her, she just knew it! Not only was he a pimp in her books, he was now also a rapist, pedophile _plus _a little puppy desperate for attention. She wondered how her "family" would react if they found out about this scumbag living next to her. But then again, if they didn't care about her suicidal tendencies, then what's a little man-whore to them?

The remote control would've snapped in her hand had she not slammed it on her coffee table as she grumpily stood up and marched towards her neighbor. If he thought that she'd just let him trample all over her, he thought wrong-_ish_.

The consistent banging only grew louder as she approached the entrance of the building's hellhole. Raising her fist and forcefully slamming it on his door, she waited for a little while before the door jerkily opened. Everything that she had sub-vocally planned to scream in the Hanyou's face left her the instant she was met with a pair of curious eyes and a little body hanging off the handle by her hand. What had she done wrong to deserve this? Really, no sane person could possibly find this amusing, except for Inuyasha… but then again, 'sane' wasn't exactly in Inuyasha's dictionary, vocabulary or personality. Poor soul.

"Hello, can Rin help you?" she asked in her curious voice, still hanging onto the handle.

"Er." She was at a lost for words for a moment before Rin asked her a question.

Her thick lashes blinked questioningly at Kagome, "Are you Unkie Inu's new girlfriend?"

"NO!" She jumped quickly. Good God no. That's just wrong… on so many levels. Yuck!

"Coz Rin thinks you're kinda pretty and not as mean looking as Unkie Inu's other girlfriends."

Finally letting go of the doorknob, she landed with a dull thump onto his carpeted floor before opening the door wider to present the horrific sight to Kagome.

Her jaw dropped.

_**888**_

Okay, so perhaps one hour turned out to be three hours, but she was probably asleep by now right? Yeah, so what was the harm? Had he been back to his apartment any earlier he would've just interrupted the kid's sleep so it was a win-win situation. Everyone was happy. Bastards at the garage took longer (than usual) to fix his car. Dammit, how hard was it to fix the freaking exhaust pipe?

He shook off the snow from his clothing and wasn't surprised to hear from inside his apartment that his TV was still on. He'd never been one to bother switching it off anyways, it saved him from having to reach for the damn remote every time he wanted the TV on, and anyways, he had money to throw away.

The moment he opened the door, he felt himself reliving moments in a horror film where the most suspenseful scenes were dramatized by the background music.

"Dear God." He breathed.

"Unkie Inu! You're back!" The little girl squealed as she happily jumped into the arms of a zombie-like Inuyasha. "Rin missed you." She spoke tiredly as she snuggled into his chest whilst he barely acknowledged her since he was still scanning his apartment.

In all his years of preparing himself for the worst for the accumulated wrong doings he'd done in the past, he never imagined karma to be in the form of this child falling asleep in his very arms. He looked down at the child and silently wondered whether Sesshomaru had trained her to do this. Unlikely. If his half brother had to teach her anything, it'd be more along the lines of burning the entire apartment down, or worse, cutting his hair. Evil bastard.

He was so lost in his own theories, he almost didn't catch the feminine, although grouchy voice that shook him from his reverie, "What kind of heartless person leaves a child all alone in an apartment?" her tired voice asked rhetorically without even glancing up at the Hanyou.

He was still too stunned to reply.

"Unkie Inu," she whined, "Rin's tired." Her drool trailing down his jacket served as a reinforcement.

From her peripheral vision, Kagome watched as the Hanyou gently carried the little girl into one of the rooms in his apartment. Unlike her own apartment, she noticed with much annoyance, his was almost twice the size. What was the boss of this building, sexist?! Whilst the carpet, curtains and arrangement of the kitchen were almost identical, that was where the similarities ended. Her blood boiled when it came to her knowledge that he had his own surround sound system along with cable and self-monitored heating system!

All she wanted was a cockroach-free apartment! Was that too much to ask for?!

"What are you doing?" His deep voice asked as he walked towards the kitchen, "Don't expect me to pay or anything like that."

She glared up from the carpet from where she was scrubbing the mustard, ketchup, soy sauce and whatever the hell Rin thought was suitable to decorate Inuyasha's apartment with, but chose to bite back the twenty minute long insult she had rehearsed during the time he had left. Walls were splattered with lettuce, orange juice, ketchup and ingredients that were no longer definable and the carpet was not much better. Unfortunately for Kagome, half the things from Inuyasha's pantry were either well over their expiry dates or turning unnatural colors.

"Don't for a minute think I'm doing this for a pervert like you." She spoke sternly, her back was aching, she was sweating and she was just downright tired, "I wasn't going to leave a child all by herself, and since she refused to leave your apartment even after re-painting it for you, I had no choice but to clean some of this off since this smell was starting to make me sick."

"Yes. Whatever gets you into my apartment right?" He took a loud bite into an apple, possibly the only thing Rin did not get her hands on.

She instantly gripped the sponge tightly in her hand, and as a result depositing some of the watery substance back into the absorbent carpet, yet chose to ignore him.

He lazily plopped himself on one of the kitchen stools and quietly observed his new companion.

"Well." She breathed, her patience obviously worn out as she dumped the sponge carelessly on the carpet, "Now that you're back, you can finish the job." She spoke dangerously. She had never been so tired in her life and to see him sitting down to merely watch her do HIS work had been the final straw.

"Like hell I am." He replied coolly, thinking that it might get a reaction from her.

She shrugged nonchalantly, "Figures. A pig like you should start living like one." And she began making her way towards his door.

He quickly leapt off the stool and instantly blocked her way out.

"You're pretty feisty with your mouth you know, are you just as feisty in b-" He didn't understand why, but every time he was in her company, he always felt the urge to get a rise out of her.

"Don't even finish that. I am NOT in the mood." She hissed.

"I can get you in the mood if you'd like."

"And I can scream 'rape' if _you'd_ like."

"Been there, done that." He smirked, "I'd rather you scream my name. Isn't that right _Kagome_?" he breathed into her ear.

On any other day, she might've blushed like a schoolgirl, possibly even stuttered, or perhaps simply stood there stunned out of her socks… not today. She was not to be messed with when she was tired. In fact, most of the things that were coming out of his mouth hardly registered in her tired brain.

When he looked at her again, he was displeased to see a bored, if not a little angry, look on her face. What the hell? Something was wrong with this girl, definitely. She wasn't reacting to anything!

"I thought nineteen was too _old_ for a pedophile like you?" she replied smugly.

Ooh, so the tiger had finally come out to play, "I can make exceptions."

"…Really?" she seemed slightly flustered now, and Inuyasha grinned at that. She was no different to any other girl; of course his charms would work on her, she was just a kid after all. "Y-you really mean that?" she spoke shyly, dipping her head low.

He leaned into her, letting his breath brush against her cheek, "Yes."

"Too bad." She sighed sadly.

Suddenly confusion was evident on Inuyasha's face, _Too bad? Too bad what? _He tried not to let his façade fall, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the complicated girl standing before him.

She looked up at him with all the confidence in the world and smiled coolly, "Too bad I _have standards_." She mocked, repeating exactly what he had said to her two days ago. "Now if you'll excuse me, your big head is in my way." She made an attempt to push past him but a growl and a hand prevented her from moving any further.

"You're really pushing it little girl." He clenched.

She sighed exasperatedly now, she truly was deadbeat. She had been scrubbing and cleaning for over two hours, which is more than her whole life's worth of cleaning accumulated. "Please." She probably sounded pathetic, but she couldn't help it, "Just let me go back to my apartment so that I can dive head first into my bed."

He had to suppress the urge to smile. He always won out in the end. That's just the way it was and always will be. But perhaps the satisfied feeling came from the fact that he had succeeded in making this girl, who had originally seemed defiant, succumb to his demand.

"Sure, on one condition." He released her arm now.

She looked up at him skeptically while he offered her an innocent, albeit smug, smile, "And what's that?"

He abruptly pulled her towards him by the waist and huskily said, "Be my sex slave for two months."

Her eyes would have popped out of her sockets had his laugh not interrupted her murderous thoughts, "Nah, that'd be way too easy on you and way too painful for me. All I want is for you to clean this mess up for me tomorrow."

She gritted her teeth and glared, "And you can't do this yourself because?"

"Important people are always busy sweetheart, and plus, certain.. acquaintances will be accompanying me back to my place, so I want it sparkling clean alright." He flicked her nose.

"And if I refuse?" For some reason, she knew she was fighting a losing battle, but that didn't mean she'd let him have things his way easily.

"Who is gonna believe you when you tell them a kid did all of this? All I really have to say is that we've never been on great terms, which is no secret, and this," he waved his arm to his apartment, "was an act out of spite. I can sue you sweetheart, for trespass and property damage, as well as endangering a child's life."

It took all of Kagome's willpower to not strike him down at that given moment. The anger within her told her it was enough to knock him out cold.

"So is that a yes? You know, I can hold you captive here all night if I really have to."

If she wasn't so tired, she would've knocked his face down multiple times.. provided that it was actually physically possible for her. "Whatever."

"Aw, you're a doll." And with that, he kissed her palm and roughly pushed her out his door.

Inuyasha grudgingly concluded that life was somewhat less repetitive with Kagome's arrival.

_**888**_

It had been well past midnight before Sesshomaru had the fucking nerve to come by and collect Rin. Whatever the hell his half-brother was doing he could not give two shits about, but if it had to concern him, or more specifically the state of his apartment, then Inuyasha can certainly spare a few strings of curses. Much to his annoyance, Sesshomaru only acknowledged this with a smirk! .. bastard.

Staring up at the ceiling with his bare arms resting behind his head, his consciousness was attacked with countless thoughts. Tomorrow would be his fight with that Jiro kid. That wasn't a concern, he could take down that amateur easy, and then women would be throwing themselves all over him.

Funnily, this thought didn't nearly provide him the satisfaction as it did back then. It seemed too repetitive now, almost pointless. He looked at them as flings and mere sex objects, so how did they perceive him? Sure, some probably had wishful thinking and possibly thought that they were 'the one'. Right. He didn't even know why he did it anymore. It was just a routine, as simple as that. Sure all of them gave him physical satisfaction, yet afterwards, he would always remember feeling empty.. yet again.

He frowned and grumbled a bit as he turned on his side and stared off into his open balcony. What the fuck had triggered all these thoughts? He was much "happier" (whatever the fuck that feeling meant) remaining oblivious to his conscience. He winced at the smell of mustard mixed with a whole lot of shit he didn't want to even think about. And then a grin touched his exotic features. Definitely not the prettiest thing, but by far the most interesting girl he'd come across, this Kagome.

He realized he didn't know that much about his neighbor, only the fact that she was nineteen, hated rats, scared of the wind and seemingly unfazed by his charms. Oh, and the fact that she was filthy rich, considering the encounter with her brother. But that wasn't anywhere near as important as her indifference towards him. Was it all an act, just to cover up her true emotions? Nah, she was way too blunt and obvious to be that good at hiding her emotions, and also, she didn't seem like the type of person to keep her feelings from others.

So what the hell was it about her that made her stand out?

She was pretty fresh, he had to admit. Given the environment he was constantly around, he had long forgotten the days of such innocence that Kagome radiated off her entire being. And even though she thought he was some kind of pedophile/rapist/pervert/horny bastard - in which he whole heartedly resented, except maybe for the last one – he felt somewhat at ease with her honesty, her will to tell him exactly what was on her mind… although some things were just plain unnecessary.

She didn't know who he was. She had no idea of his past, no clue of his accomplishments and no interest in his daily life.

She did not judge him for she did not care.

Normally that would've bothered him, but when it came to his new neighbor, it made him smirk.

It had been a little over two weeks? Give or take, since she'd moved in. Why he had bothered to remember was completely beyond him. Growling lowly, he chastised himself for letting his thoughts drift so far ahead of him.

No matter. Tomorrow night, all he'll be concerned about is the lucky lady beneath him screaming his name.

He was just delusional from the smell tonight… that's all.

_**888**_

Not too far away.

Just down the hall.

A lecher with a red handprint on his face walked wistfully back to his apartment.

Yes. He thought.

The behind of Sango Aoki was well worth the pain.

Now, all he had to think about were ways to avoid being physically hurt.

From beatings, to vase smashing, to slapping – he had experienced way too much of that from an excessively short period of time.

And then he realized, he was Inuyasha's manager and Sango's potential lover – yep, he was destined to a life of physical abuse.

He smiled.

_**888**_

An: I have no idea why, but the peak of my inspiration always seems to hit me when I'm on the verge of falling asleep.. which should THEREFORE explain the typo's, grammatical errors etc etc XD Thanks for all the reviews everyone!

Wow, after many frustrating attempts of uploading this chapter, I am so relieved that it's finally up. I hope you guys seriously enjoyed this because let me tell you, I was literally planning death threats on Yes... anger management here I come!

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha OR Miroku.**_

**Doll Secret **


	7. Death Wish

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Death Wish**

_**888**_

His harsh breathing echoed through the empty and cold locker room. At one stage, he was vaguely aware of the intense music and screaming coming from the stadium, but now, he struggled to even keep his eyes focused. He chuckled bitterly as his head rolled back once he collapsed heavily on the empty bench. His muscles and limbs failed to comply to his improperly functioning brain and slowly, he was succumbing to the expected effects.

His mind was gradually becoming clouded by a sense of nothingness as barely anything registered in his awareness. Rolling his head from side to side like a rag doll, his body tingled with the overwhelming sensations coursing rapidly through his veins. His pupils had dilated to an abnormal size and his body temperature was steadily dropping. The color was drained from his face as his lips were turning into an unnatural shade of purple. His body had become numb all over, completely ignorant to any environmental stimuli attacking his sensory nerves as his brain could no longer convey these messages.

His frame trembled slightly from the euphoria. Things had become a complete blur to him as everything started to appear all meshed up together, forming a dull grey blob of something indefinable. He chuckled deliriously and wondered, as best he could, whether he was dying. He certainly hoped so, it was much better than how he expected his death to be. At least he accomplished what he had strived to do ever since.. ever since when? And what exactly was it that he was suppose to accomplish anyways? Fuck it. He was actually anticipating his death now, welcoming it with open arms. It was his ultimate salvation.

Even with his altered state of consciousness, something kept gnawing at him. He knew, somewhere deep _deep _down that his one and only goal had not been achieved. He snorted, oh well, who was he to tamper with fate? If his death was imminent, then so be it, in fact, he deserved it. At least now he would finally see her. Her beautiful face, charming personality, caring smile – he was going to be reunited with all of that… and he could not wait. Another surge of blissful sensations coursed through his veins and he questioned whether it was out of anticipation to see _her _or just the effect.

He closed his eyes when he vaguely realized a deep male voice screaming his name. Footsteps. Heavy footsteps. That man was quickly approaching him and he felt his body being roughly pulled upwards as the familiar man shook him desperately. Cold hands slapped gently across his face. Too late buddy. Fate had decided his time was up, a few slaps here and there were not going to change shit all. His head rolled limply off the man's shoulder and he could sense the anxiety growing every second from the man. He wondered who it could be. No one was suppose to care for him anyways so why the fuck was this man wasting his time on him.

Was dying really suppose to take this long? But it mattered not, for in the end, all will be worth it. Seeing her once again will be worth all the pain through the years. Slowly, his golden orbs rolled back into his head and his lids fluttered shut. The man yelled out to him again, but this time, it fell upon deaf ears.

_Mother_

_**888**_

A tall lean man hurriedly stalked his way towards Naraku in the VIP spectator's box situated above the thousands of screaming fans beneath them on ground level. He was clad in a black suit, much similar to that of his boss, but less expensive and less important, "Boss." His voice showed slight panic, but at the same time maintained confidence.

Naraku gave him a bored glance and simply waved his hand in a lazy manner, signaling for him to continue. "It's Inuyasha." This seemed to grab his undivided attention almost instantly as he turned cold sharp eyes at one of his lackeys. "It seems he's been drugged. His manager found him in his locker room unconscious and high." He paused for a second, trying to gauge Naraku's reaction but feared it may provoke his temper so decided to quickly continue, albeit hesitantly, "He will not be able to fight tonight."

Before the man knew what hit him, Naraku was up and holding him by the neck, "What the fuck do you mean he won't be able to fight tonight!" he roared, "That Jiro boy is just a kid, Inuyasha could finish him off even under the influence of drugs! I've put too much into Inuyasha for him to back out on me now. He _will be_ fighting tonight. Do you understand?"

The man choked, but Naraku did not care, "S-sir, his m-manager ref-fuses t-to.."

The moment Naraku let go of his neck, he struggled to catch his breath, "Bring Miroku to me now." He spoke low and dangerously and immediately, the man went off to retrieve Miroku.

Naraku's fists clenched together in anger and rage. He had put too much on the line for anything to disrupt Inuyasha's winning streak. He could not afford little bumps on the road like this one. Whoever that did this to Inuyasha was aiming to strike him down and he was not going to tolerate it. Slowly, his paranoia was starting to get to him as his eyes scanned over the thousands of people, wondering who would benefit from this _the most_.

"He cannot fight." His voice was stern, confident, but a tone of anger was evident.

"Says who?" Naraku replied in a venomous voice, daring him to retaliate.

"He is unconscious." Miroku spoke through clenched teeth. It was bad enough Inuyasha was in the state that he was in; he absolutely did not need to confront this psychotic dangerous man at the given moment.

"Then wake him up." It was obvious his patience with Miroku was slipping away quickly.

"Naraku. He has been dru-"

"I am aware that he has been drugged." He hissed, the vein in his temple throbbing violently, "Dump him in water, burn him with fire, do whatever the fuck it takes to get him on his feet. I don't care if he has to enter the ring fucking high on dope. He just needs to be in there in fifteen minutes. Am I understood?"

It was barely noticeable but Miroku's body shook with rage he never thought he was capable of feeling, "I'm sorry Naraku," he paused briefly, glaring intently into the man's eyes, "He _will not _fight."

In less than two seconds, Miroku was suspended in the air with long cold fingers wrapped tightly around his neck. For a moment he was sure Naraku was going to attack him, but all he came across was an enraged man trying to compose his obvious panic state. He looked so angry it appeared that he was at a loss for words. Miroku, although struggling from the lack of air, looked around to see what kind of danger he was in. And unfortunately, it appeared to be a lot. Over twenty of his lackeys were on their feet, ready for a command from their boss.

"Let him go."

All eyes turned to the somewhat shaky feminine voice, and if Miroku could, he would've done so too.

Slowly, the cold fingers around his neck started to loosen as a smirk graced his gaunt face. "I knew you looked familiar, _Sango_."

Miroku didn't know whether he was more relieved or more worried for her safety. Really, why is a girl like herself constantly around places like these? And how the fuck did Naraku know her?

"Naraku." Although she kept her composure perfectly, it was obvious to everyone she was scared, "Let him go." She was shaking, mostly out of fear rather than anger.

Naraku did not sit well with commands, especially from those considered lower than him, "And if I don't?" he was taunting her and absolutely daring her to defy him.

She wanted to suck in a breath of air out of habit, but realized at the last minute the toxic fumes surrounding them. "Then _he _won't be happy."

His face instantly lost the smugness, but was instead replaced with annoyance, "Do not threaten me little girl." He hissed, but released Miroku anyways, "Understand that I have more important matters to attend to and that your threats mean nothing to me." He spat. "_He _no longer cares about you, you hold no power."

She knew he was right, right about everything. Someone like Naraku would never be threatened by someone like her, he was also right in saying that 'he' no longer cared for her wellbeing anymore… what had she done? She had just put herself in the bad books of one of the most dangerous figures in underground Tokyo and for what? A person she hardly knew? Gods she was stupid.

Before she realized, Miroku was back on his feet and steadily making his way towards her. To a certain extent, she expected some sort of gratitude or even a lecherous act, but what came afterwards surprised her, and for some weird reason, left butterflies in her stomach.

"Get out of here, _now_." He growled lowly without even so much as glancing at her and stalked off after Naraku. He needed to stop him from getting to Inuyasha.

This was the second time she had seen Miroku so serious. How can one man be so different? One moment he was a carefree lecher, the next, he was a demanding, sexy, dangerous… crap, why was she blushing now, and what's that weird feeling in her chest?

_**888**_

Kagome's eyelids were beginning to succumb to gravity.. or fatigue, whatever it was. She was, at this point, way too tired to think coherently as she snuggled comfortably into the couch, watching beautiful people on TV. She yawned softly and tiredly glanced at the clock. It read two o'clock. Sighing to herself, she continued to fight her fatigue and with all her will power, tried to keep her eyes open.

She wasn't sure how long she had fallen asleep but she didn't care to look at the time when she distinctly heard Miroku's voice grumbling just outside the door. Her eyes were wide open now, just sitting there watching the door like a curious puppy waiting for its owner to return. She looked at the TV and realized she had probably slept for an hour or so because the next soap opera had started already. Finally, the sound of keys made its way to Kagome's ears, and for some funny reason, she waited in anticipation.

Hold on a second. Why was it Miroku's voice that she heard? Where was Inuyasha then? Oh my go- were they going to have a threesome?! Before Kagome's imagination went any further, the door flew open with a loud bang and in came Miroku dragging a dead-looking Inuyasha through the door. Miroku himself looked pretty pissed off, which was saying A LOT for a guy who never seemed to have a temper. Kagome simply sat there, waiting for Miroku to notice her, and that he did, the moment his eyes traveled upwards from the carpeted floor.

To say he was surprised was an understatement, "What are you doing in Inuyasha's apartment?" His tone was neither angry or accusing, simply confused and curious.

He had paused in the middle of the lounge room with Inuyasha's arm dragged across his shoulders as he supported his full weight. Kagome fidgeted with the cushion in her hands for a brief second, looking guiltily at Miroku, "He told me to clean his place… and plus, he had cable." She sounded similar to a child caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Miroku merely shrugged as he pulled the dead beat Inuyasha towards her couch. Finally, it seemed to register to her that there was an unconscious Inuyasha in the room, "Oh my god! What happened to Inuyasha?!" She quickly leapt off his couch to make room for him and skittishly stared at the paled face hanyou. "Is he.. dead?" she whispered immaturely.

Miroku had to refrain from rolling his eyes and opted to simply shake his head, "No, he's been drugged."

"What?!" she screeched, "How? Who? Why?" She was getting extremely jumpy by now.

Miroku remained silent, just looking at the hanyou resting.

Kagome, on the other hand started pacing around the lounge room, "Oh no, oh no, oh no," she chanted, "What are we going to do? He's dying isn't he? Oh no, and he lives right next to me. Oh please don't die! Don't come back to haunt me! I'm too young!"

This time, Miroku really did roll his eyes, "Calm down Kagome. He's fine now, or else I wouldn't let him sleep now would I?"

"I don't know!" She was somewhat hysterical, pointing an accusing finger at him, "I don't know what you people do with drugs and all that stuff! This is bad, this is _real bad_! Oh gees," it almost sounded like she was hyperventilating, "Oh gees, _do something Miroku!_"

But Miroku only looked solemn. He continued to look at Inuyasha until he cringed and stood up and spoke without making any eye contact with Kagome, "He should be fine now. It's been five hours so the drugs should be wearing off by now… just.. just look after him tonight." And with that, he left the room against Kagome's panicked cries.

"No! Wait! You can't leave me here all alone with him! What am I suppose to do?!" But it was too late, he had left.

Kagome had the urge to slam her head against any hard surface. Never in her entire life had she experienced what she had gone through in these three weeks, or more specifically, since she met Inuyasha. The guy simply spelt trouble. She quickly closed the door and walked back over to the "sleeping" hanyou. What was a girl, with no experience in this "field" at all, to do with an overdosed man weighing possibly three times more than her own body weight?

"Okay, just calm down Kagome, you can do this." She encouraged herself as she wiped her hands on her sweat pants, a habit for when she was nervous, "Just, just," she looked around the place before deciding that rearranging Inuyasha into a more comfortable position was a good start. Placing a cushion beneath his head and moving his body so that he wasn't resting in an awkward position, she decided to take care of him the way she had taken care of a feverish Souta when he was younger.

Running off into the kitchen, she grabbed water, towels, cups, buckets.. and even managed to find a thermometer. Once she made sure she had everything, she quickly strode back into the lounge and placed the wet towels (although they were dirty kitchen towels) on his forehead and dabbed some water onto his lips to keep him hydrated. It took a good ten minutes for her to actually breath properly and realize that Miroku was probably right in saying that Inuyasha was fine because she had finally seen the steady rhythmic breathing coming from the hanyou.

Sighing in relief, she sat herself down next to the couch, and placed a hand on one of Inuyasha's thigh and started stroking it in a comforting way. "Inuyasha." She sighed, "You're such an idiot."

It was odd because for the first time, he did not retaliate. Well he couldn't, but that was besides the point.

"You think you're so cool playing with fire." She took this opportunity to chastise him since he was unable to reply, "But you're not. It's stupid, just like you.. stupid."

She wondered for an extremely brief second if she should just ditch him and run back to the safety of her own apartment, where things were more normal. Well as normal as living next to a psycho can be anyways. She sighed, damn her morals for keeping her in this hellhole.

"Wait, no. I take that back," she was daydreaming at the hand she was using to stroke his thigh, "You're not stupid, you're idiotically moronic with a sex drive of ten perverted Mirokus put together. You think you're so good-looking and that every woman on this damn planet wants you, well answer me this, whose going to want you when you're old and wrinkly and all your good-looks have left you?"

No reply, "Yeah." She smiled smugly, "I thought so."

"Oh." She said again after a while of silence, "Have I also told you that you smell?" She lied, "Yeah, well now you know."

She sighed. It was different to not hear his witty comebacks, and for the first time, she actually wished he would just insult back. Even though she didn't realize it, she missed his conversations. This one-way conversation was so completely pointless that the idea of talking to a wall seemed more appealing.

Whilst Inuyasha was possibly the biggest prick she had met in her entire life, which was saying a lot considering she was brought up in a crowd of people who thought they were above society, he was never cruel or harsh towards her. Their arguments seemed more frustrating than insulting, and most of the time, things were blown so out of proportion that their fights were nothing but petty and pointless.

He was such a confusing character that despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but feel some sort of curiosity towards him. She realized, moments when his guard was down, he had shown a more gentle and genuine side to him, but those hardly lasted or occurred, and instantly he would revert back to his sarcastic cocky self. But he was good, yes she had to admit, he was very good… good at this charade and false façade he had created, because even until now, even despite his gentler moments, Kagome still could not grasp onto his true nature.

"Inuyasha." Her voice was gentle now, "Why do you do stupid things to yourself?" She surprised herself from the sadness radiating off every word, but she couldn't help it, "Don't you know these things are dangerous for you?" A sad smile touched her tired face and she shook her head, "But that's probably why you do it.. isn't it… you stupid boy?"

She sighed as she continued to stroke his thigh, "What's beneath all the good looks and hard exterior that you put up Inuyasha?…Just because you look like a deformed pig, it doesn't mean you have to act like one… Just because you act like a psychotic baboon, doesn't mean you have to smell like one… and just because you smell like a cross-dresser gorilla, it doesn't mean you have to look like one"

Her hand came to a halt as she became lost in her own thoughts, oddly relieved yet disappointed that he didn't hear her long rant. Frankly, she thought it was pretty impressive with all the analogies and metaphors, but had he heard it, he probably would've come up with something quirkier, albeit disturbing, to shut her up. And that was exactly what he did.. even in his drug induced state. Yep, the man was unstoppable.

"So you admit that I'm good looking?"

His smug voice, although hoarse, rang loud and clear through her ears.

_**888**_

He felt a small gentle hand rubbing his thigh in a soothing manner and heard a familiar voice talking. Funnily, this person sounded sad. No one he knew ever sounded sad. They were either evil, fake or trying to get into his pants. His eyes failed to open, but his hanyou hearing was back. So he simply opted to listen to this girl.

"Oh, have I told you that you smell? Yeah well now you know."

Kagome. He mentally rolled his eyes. No other person could be as naïve and random as that girl. He was confused at her half-hearted insult. Was she running out of things to say already? Probably not, she was way too quirky, unfortunately, to leave Inuyasha in peace. However without him realizing it, his body instantly felt at ease being in the presence of Kagome's.

"Inuyasha, why do you do stupid things to yourself? Don't you know these things are dangerous for you?"

Right, she was probably referring to the drugs. Hey, it wasn't like he _asked_ to be drugged, why was she making it out to seem like it was _his_ fault. So he was probably a little too happy at the idea of dying than necessary, but hey, he was an optimistic person after all. Couldn't exactly blame the guy for seeing the glass half full right? She was just a pessimist.

"But that's probably why you do it… isn't it… you stupid boy."

Ookay. Did she just call him stupid, and a boy no less?! Really now, this was getting out of hand. She was crushing his ego before his very eyes! Come on, did he look like a boy to her? He's a _man, soldier, warrior, GOD!_.. okay so maybe the last one was overdoing it a little, but a boy? Ouch.

"What's beneath all the good looks and hard exterior that you put up Inuyasha?…Just because you look like a deformed pig, it doesn't mean you have to act like one… Just because you act like a psychotic baboon, doesn't mean you have to smell like one… and just because you smell like a cross-dresser gorilla, it doesn't mean you have to look like one"

…This girl must've had a very disturbed childhood. That was the only logical explanation to her insults. He was even willing to bet that she had spent her puberty years sitting in her room, rocking back and forth in the corner, silently plotting against great-looking people such as himself. Yeah, that had to be it. She probably even had a book of insults to use at any given situation, possibly titled: What to say to destroy them emotionally; The guide for peanut brains.

"So you're admit that I'm good looking?"

He nearly chuckled at the look plastered on her momentary solemn face. It clearly read: Kill me now.

He was going to enjoy this.

_**888**_

As Miroku walked down the secluded hallway of his level, he let his head dip in guilt and a sense of hopelessness. Countless questions bombarded his already worn out brain, but one rang out loud and clear. Why, after all the threats, had Naraku simply left after finding out about Inuyasha's altered state. He was certain that after Naraku had let go of his neck, literally, he had stalked off to find Inuyasha to do everything in his power to force the hanyou to fight. Yet funnily enough, when he arrived back at the locker room, he was met by his unconscious friend and several stand-by unlicensed doctors.

Every day the guilt would increase a little, the burden would weigh a bit more and the road would become harder to walk on. He shook his head and forced the negative thoughts out of his mind. But it was then that he realized that it was not his head that carried this heavy feeling, but his conscience, morals and heart. This was getting too hard… too close to the end. So if he was mentally suffering so much, then how on earth was Inuyasha coping?

_Kagome._

This brought a ghost of a smile on Miroku's face. The hanyou probably didn't notice it, but this girl was definitely the one good thing amongst the midst of all the shit that they were swimming in waist length. She was without a doubt the breath of fresh air in the years that the hanyou was suffocating in, a diversion so to speak. Could she be the spark of hope Inuyasha needs? The one to wake the hanyou from this lifelong nightmare? He could only pray that she was.

He reached his door and slowly entered his own, perfectly furnished, apartment. Running a tired hand through his jet black hair, he flopped against the couch and reached for his phone. Dialing a number he had imprinted into his memory from the moment they met, he waited patiently for an expected groggy voice to answer the phone. She had left a good three hours before he did, so she should be well and truly asleep by now. But he didn't care, because he needed to know.

Finally, his ears were blessed with the feminine, slightly husky, voice, "Hello?"

"Sango."

_**888**_

**An: **You know what song is stuck in my head right now? 'My love' by JT. Yes great, so as I'm sitting here writing the chapter, I have him dancing around in my head singing, 'If I wrote you a symphony..' and do you know how _impossibly hard _it is to not sing along with it?! It was tough guys, but I got through it.

Next chapter will be more uplifting, maybe even.. hmm do I dare say it… fluffy?

Like usual, I'd like to thank those who've read and reviewed, but this time, I'd like to specifically give a shout out to those reviewers who've not only read but reviewed almost every time a new chapter is out. I have NO idea why you're still reading my stuff, but nevertheless, I am extremely touched and would like for everyone who has ever reviewed to know that, you guys keep my peanut brain motivated! So know that every chapter is written for you guys…. and for my own sadistic pleasure of manipulating the characters any way I want. insert psychotic witch laugh

Okay, I promise I won't ever get this sentimental for a very LONG while. I really didn't mean to scare away the kiddies. I swear! -reviewers cue to shudder-

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Miroku.**_

**Doll Secret**


	8. Getting too Personal

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Getting too Personal**

_**888**_

At first her body felt numb all over with the initial shock, but after that had worn off, give or take a full minute or so, her facial expression gradually turned sour with a look of pure disgust. She was sure her face had gone completely red from the heat that funnily seemed to surround her entire body from out of nowhere as he continued to stare with those hypnotizing amber eyes and that ugly smug smile. How she desperately wished for a rock to magically appear so that she could crawl under it at that very moment.

All thoughts of his wellbeing flew out of her head and slowly, with as much dignity and poise as she could muster, which wasn't a lot, she cleared her throat and stood up as she disappeared from his line of sight, presumably heading towards the direction of the kitchen. He chuckled dazedly but remained in the exact position Kagome had placed him in, contently listening to the tap going off and the water violently hitting against some sort of container. The water was turned off as quickly and violently as it was turned on and was soon followed by heavy footsteps.

She stood stiffly in front of him once again, holding a rectangular container filled with water. "Aw," he started groggily, "you're sweet, but you really don't have to wash my face." He was teasing, having absolutely no idea what the water was for, not that he cared much anyways.

"No, I insist." Before Inuyasha knew what had hit him, a gush of water came splashing on his face, completely soaking his hair, half his shirt and running up his nostrils and blocking his ears.

Sputtering extremely violently and coughing up some of the water, Inuyasha could only stare back in shock, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT F-"

"That," she started fiercely and carelessly throwing the container aside and simultaneously pointing an angry finger at him, "is for being a jerk!"

Against his lack of control over his bodily movements, he forcefully pushed his body into a sitting position, dumping the dirty kitchen towel onto the table and looked back just as fiercely, "Oh yes, I forgot that me being a jerk is more of an importance than me being drugged. Talk about feeling loved."

"Oh so your peanut sized brain can actually grasp onto the concept of the dangers of drugs?! And here I thought your stupidity affected your eye sight! That way, at least I could excuse this incident for you mistaking pills as candy!"

"Hey! It's not like I asked for this to happen to me. I can't help it if someone wants me-" he quickly caught himself, avoiding eye contact and opted to simply cross his arms against his chest. "Pfft, what's the big deal anyways? It's what we grown ups call 'life'."

Whether it was out of anger or the need to get her idea through his thick head, she firmly grabbed onto his shoulders and with force shook him so that he was looking at her, "Do you realize how unbelievably disgusting that sounds? Do you?! Drugs is NOT a necessity to life-"

"So tell me genius," he taunted, hiding the surprise in his demeanor from her aggressive behaviour, "what do you think medicine is?"

"You know what I mean!"

"And _you _know what I mean!"

"What are you talking about?!" Her patience was hanging by a thread as she realized the defiance in his eyes. Was he so unwilling to accept that what he did was wrong?

"I'm saying that this is no big deal! Shit happens okay! Shit that doesn't concern naïve little girls such as yourself, so why are you acting so angry anyways?!" This was perhaps the first time she had ever seen Inuyasha angry, but most importantly, this was the first time he had spoken to her seriously, even though he was practically barking at her.

She wasn't sure why she was this angry. Maybe it was the embarrassment of getting caught thinking he was handsome that put her in such a defensive mode, or maybe it was her worry and panic that he failed to witness when he was unconscious, but the more she thought about it, and the more indifferent he was acting, the more upset she got.

She shook him again to regain his attention, "You were dragged into your own damn apartment by Miroku! And the worry on his face was enough to tell me how serious this whole situation was! Why can't you just accept that what you did was wrong?!"

He glared at her, hating the proximity and her confronting nature, "And what exactly did I do?" he hissed dangerously.

She paused and gradually released her hold on his shoulders as she sat herself on the coffee table. So what _did _he do? She wasn't sure now that she actually thought about it. Miroku hardly told her anything which had left her to jump to conclusions due to her panic and worry. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, the anger dissipating almost instantly as she looked at the intense hanyou with tired eyes; after all, it was in the wee hours of the morning. "I don't know. But," For some reason, he didn't have a smart reply as he merely sat there waiting for her to continue.

"But it bothers me." She hesitantly continued as she fidgeted with the hem of her pajama top.

"What does?" he asked lowly.

She didn't answer immediately, trying to gather her thoughts and put them in coherent words, "It bothers me to think that… to think that you don't even care. It kinda scares me really.. to see how indifferent you're acting after _that_."

"Since when did you start caring for me? What? Suddenly decided to grow a heart for me now?"

The fact that she had pushed him out of his comfort zone had turned him bitter and harsh. Instead of waking up to a flustered teenage girl, in which he had expected, he woke to countless confronting questions that he did not wish to relive. For too long, no one had dared to question his actions, and that was something he was becoming too use to. She knew nothing about him, and for some reason, he felt a sudden fear grip at his heart at the thought of her innocence being tainted by him.

She clenched her fists and glared at him. What had she said to provoke him? She was only trying to care, so why did it upset him so much? "Well _excuse _me for caring for someone else's wellbeing! I'm _sorry _that the idea of someone like me worrying over your unconscious ass disturbs you, but you're just going to have to deal with it! A life is a life, and I don't care whether it's yours or Miroku's or even that homeless guy's down the street – it doesn't matter who it is, it's just as sad to see someone so uncaring of their own wellbeing!"

There was silence for a while and all they did was stare intently at each other, daring the first to speak up. "Just drop it." He finally spoke, very tiredly though most likely due to the drugs. As a hanyou, he reacted differently to drugs. Possibly being more resilient to it…or well.. having his life threatened by it (to much more extreme extents than humans), which was precisely what had happened tonight. However, as a hanyou, the recovery stage was also different. The process of recovery was based entirely on the strength of the individual and the result can never be second-guessed.

"No."

The sternness in her voice surprised even herself and by the looks of Inuyasha, he did not seem like a happy camper. "What?"

"Do you really think that if I drop the subject you can carry on with life as if nothing has happened? Face it, you have a problem, so instead of walking on eggshells around it, confront it! I can help y-"

She stopped abruptly the moment she saw and heard him chuckling. No, it wasn't out of happiness or gratitude. It was a hollow and dark sound, one that brought shivers running down her spine. He shook his head, almost seemingly mentally talking to himself.

"Inuyasha?" Maybe he had gone bonkas from the drugs.

"_You _think you can help me?" he asking degradingly, "_You _think someone like yourself can understand?"

She could only stare at him, having absolutely no idea why she was suddenly afraid of him.

"Why don't you give me a little insight of _your_ world." He leaned forward; resting his elbows on his knees and spoke mockingly.

"My world?" she asked, unsure of what he really meant and how it was relevant to the topic at hand.

"Yes your world." He replied with a little smirk that showed none of his usual playfulness or quirkiness. "You know, the world where brothers strut around in a dingy apartment flaunting their wealth in their Armani suit. The world where a perfectly normal nineteen year old isn't at school and instead lounging around, letting days pass by pointlessly because she's been so spoiled from the day she was born."

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction, taken and hurt by the last statement.

"What do you do _Kagome_? You don't go to school, you don't work, yet for some reason, you don't seem to have a single worry about the world. Oh wait, that's because you don't _need _to do any of those. You've been so protected and spoiled your whole life you don't even realize everything that goes on around you. The reality of everything. Not everyone has the money to buy their way through life believe it or not."

"You're wrong, my life isn't perfect-" she tried to defend herself without letting her emotions get the better of her.

"Of course your life isn't perfect sweetheart. I never said it was." His voice was very unkind, but he didn't care, "Because for someone like you, chipping a nail is deemed imperfect correct? Not getting that new Blackberry is imperfect. Not having the entire world revolve around what you want for dinner is imperfect!"

She refused to show him weakness. He was the one with the real problem, not her. She knew he was only saying all of this to hurt her. He didn't mean it. It didn't matter because none of it were true. None… so why did it hurt just the same?

He did not drop his intense gaze, choosing to put her under pressure, because that way, he would once again be the one in charge of the situation, "Face it. The world is not a fairytale you people are so inclined to believe. It's not all rainbows and butterflies and believe it or not, yes, people actually have shit to deal with."

Finally, he dropped his gaze and pinched the bridge of his nose before scanning for a glass of water. The effects had not fully subsided and he needed desperately to calm his nerves and ease his headache.

"Someone like you will never understand people like me, so don't even try to presume to know what I'm going through."

This time, she really did gasp at the cruelty of his words. She felt her eyes sting at the words that brought on the rush of painful memories. How could he? What had she done to deserve such treatment? All she did was try to help and care for him, yet instead of being grateful, he turns right around and slaps her right in the face for it. As much as she hated to admit it, did he even realize how worried she was when she saw him in the drug-induced state? No he didn't, and she realized now, that it was better this way

_**888**_

"What." Her voice trembled hoarsely with suppressed anger.

Her eyes glared fiercely into the dark room as her hand gripped on tightly. If her brain had the ability to function properly, she would've undoubtedly let him have a piece of her mind. How dare he? It was quiet for a while, save for the miscellaneous indefinable sounds surrounding them from the waking city. She waited, somewhat patiently for him to retract his question.. but she should've known better.

"Do you mean to tell me that you called at six in the morning just to know-"

"Of course not my dear Sango." Miroku interjected, "You have to give me more credit than that. I also called to hear your husky voice."

She rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. Whatever butterflies left in her stomach from before had well and truly evaporated into thin air. He had once again converted to his old ways. "Miroku, if you have no other _real _questions, I'm hanging up."

"What! What do you mean real question, that's a real question!" he defended, almost sounding hurt.

"Oh for the love of.." she mumbled frustrated, "My hair is naturally black! I wear only blush and lip-gloss when I am out! No, I do not and will not sleep in the nude! Whether I wax or shave is no business of yours and no, I don't like kids so there goes your dreams of me bearing your children! Happy now?! Go see a doctor Miroku."

And just like that, his questions were answered and he was left with the dial tone.

His burden felt a little less heavy when he hung up, a little smug smirk still evident on his handsome features. Of course he hadn't called Sango just to know whether she slept in the nude – although come to think of it, it wasn't such a bad idea after all. With Inuyasha's inability to fight in this round heavy on his mind, he had called Sango with the intention of finding out about her connections with Naraku just to give some sort of peace to his questioning mind. However, the moment he was connected, he felt a surge of panic as he realized the stupidity of his plan.

Being associated with Naraku could never be a good thing, and judging by the way Sango had somewhat of an upper hand with him meant that their history was probably deeper than what he was giving them credit for. So in English, it basically meant that by simply demanding answers from Sango would not lead him anywhere, hence the sudden change of plan the instant she answered her phone. He would just have to be patient and find out the slow way, although 'how' he would do that, was still a mystery to him.

Flopping tiredly onto his bed, he wondered what would happen now. Inuyasha had failed to fight in this round, which was as good as losing, but Naraku was bent on seeing Inuyasha reach the finals, and not only that, to also win in the finals. So what did that mean? But more importantly, how would Inuyasha feel if he really was out of the tournament? He'd probably commit mass genocide.

Closing his eyes, Miroku could only pray that his phone won't explode the coming day from the amount of phone calls he was expecting. But as much as he dreaded Naraku's phone call, which was a definite, he anticipated it just the same.

…Oh, and steering clear from Sango was perhaps also a wise choice

_**888**_

"This conversation is over, so would ya just get lost now?" He cringed instantly after saying that, not because of his callousness, but because of the consistent pounding in his head. "Fuck, why is it hurting so much?" he growled lightly to himself.

She quickly jumped at the opening. If he was going to be such a prick about all of this, then so be it, he didn't deserve her help. "What does? Your ego for not being able to outsmart a girl? Or this?" jabbing painfully at his temple.

He instantly jumped at the sudden contact, "Hey!" But before he was able to speak another word, most likely a swear word.. swear words, he immediately toppled back onto the couch having somewhat blacked out for a few seconds.

He swore he knew this girl took immense pleasure seeing him in pain. With him in his weak and vulnerable state, shouldn't she be taking advantage of him like every sane woman would? Oh that's right, how could he forget that Kagome was INsane? Feeling the black dots fading away from his eye sight, he took the opportunity to send the raven haired girl a deathly glare.

"Don't look at me like that, you know you deserved it." She crossed her arms smugly against her chest.

"You little bitch!"

"What?!" She nearly choked on her own saliva from the surprise. Never had Inuyasha spoken to her like that, let alone say 'that' word to her.

"God dammit, I said you little-"

"I _heard _what you said," she interjected with a dramatic roll of her eyes, "I was just trying to show my shock and disgust you dumb-"

"Well you did a lousy job.. bitch." He grumbled to himself.

Her face flushed red from anger as she stood up and grabbed him painfully by his ears. She had never had her temper tested like this as she was always the mellow carefree girl everyone knew of her to be. So why was she letting Inuyasha get to her? After all, he was simply a neighbor, an insignificant person in her life that she would never see the moment she convinces her mom to set her free from this hellish hole.

"OW SHIT!" As much as he hated to admit it, besides crying out in pain, he didn't have enough energy to actually defend himself.

"Don't call me a bitch!"

"Let go you stupid girl!"

"No! Not until you stop treating me like a child!" She yanked on his ears not too gently.

"Fuck! Just let go!"

"And why are you so mean to me? What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment from you!? You're such a baboon!"

The last question had struck a nerve because for some reason, he had suddenly found the strength to push her hands off his sore ears before standing up to her level, looking at her with… hate?

"Because!" he yelled, "Because I hate people like you. I hate how you think the world is all beautiful and shit! I hate how you're always so positive! I hate the fact that people like you look down on people like us! I hate that you guys have everything laid out for your unappreciative asses, whilst people like us have to work for everything, fight for everything! I hate everything you stand for! But most of all, I hate you!" He was breathing heavily from the exertion as he stared down at the emotionless girl.

It was quiet for a very long time, with the two of them just standing there staring at one another. The sun was slowly rising, which served as a vague reminder that this was not just a dream. This was as real as it could get.. because for once, Inuyasha had spoken his heart out to her.. even if it meant the harsh stabbing pain somewhere near her chest.. yes, somewhere.

She had to suppress the urge to chuckle at the irony of the situation. She hated the playboy in him, the sleazy antics, the arrogant demeanor.. yet now, he was revealing a completely different side to himself, possibly the truer side as well.. and no she didn't hate it, but it depressed her. She wasn't even sure which was worse. But if this was his true nature, then so be it. It wasn't like it was abnormal to have this personality, it was just saddening to know that she was just a pebble in his shoe. It finally hit full force that they were two entirely different people, from two different worlds… and that would _always _the case.

"W-well." Instantly she cleared her throat and straightened her back after stuttering and began anew, "Well, I'm sorry that you think that way, but not every rich person is as what you think they are." Giving him a glare that sent shivers down his spine, she abruptly turned and walked towards his door, "But I guess if I started telling you otherwise, it would just confuse your little mind, so I'll save you the pain and save myself the humiliation."

He didn't know what to say anymore. His mind thanked the Gods that she was finally leaving, yet something stronger, almost painful, in his chest was silently screaming for her to stay with him.

She had reached the door as her hand gripped a little too tightly onto the handle. It was taking everything in her to compose herself and to keep her voice steady.

"By the way, it took me five hours to clean your apartment," she didn't look at him and opted to stare at the door, "I don't care what you said earlier, I'm charging you anyways. Thirty dollars an hour plus detergent money. That totals to $153.50. But because I'm so generous, I'm going to round that off to $154." And with that, she opened the door and left.

_**888**_

Closing her own apartment door as slowly as she could without seeming suspicious, she leaned against the heavy wood and gradually slid down. For a while she stared off into space, not exactly knowing what to think, how to feel and why her heart was beating so quickly and painfully. Her cheeks were still rosy red, making her actually quite pretty.. too bad she didn't feel pretty at that moment. In fact, she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Was it normal to be so confused with her own emotions?

Her apartment seemed a little empty now for some odd reason, even a little colder than usual. So when she laughed, the sound seemed even more foreign and uncomfortable on the ears. Why she was laughing was completely beyond her. Slowly, she got up and shook her head as she made her way to her cordless phone. Without even looking at the pad, she dialed a number off by heart.

She waited for several seconds before a groggy voice answered the phone.

"Souta Higurashi, if you do not put mom on the phone right now, so..," she paused, and she breathed, "so help me God I will spread rumors about you having warts all over the ball of your foot that you can't even walk properly without the help of-"

"You know sis, it might just be me since I'm half in a coma, but your threat seemed quite, how should I put it.. half-assed, and don't think I missed that quiver in your voice.. what's wrong? Don't tell me you miss your dear ole bro- sis? Hello? Kags? Hey sis you there?"

She couldn't do it. She had quickly hung up as Souta was half way through his good-natured jokes. What the hell was wrong with her? Souta was right, she had quivered as she spoke to him. Her voice shook. It shocked her beyond belief at the surge of emotions the moment she heard her brother, someone who loved her no matter what, and all her efforts of containing her emotions were fast collapsing. Her breathing started to become ragged.

Her hands shook as she quickly dialed another number. She needed to talk, but she needed to talk to someone who would not reply back. So as much as she loved her mother, she did not want her mother to hear her at this very moment. And because of the time difference in Toyko, Japan and New york, America, she was bound to not pick up her call.

_"Hello, this is Kikyou. I can't pick up your call right now, so leave a message and number and I'll get back to you."_

"K-Kikyo?"

In two hours Kikyou would arrive back at her penthouse from one of her many board meetings. In two hours and two minutes, Kikyou would smile as she would yet again see another message left by her whiny cousin.

In two hours and two and a half minutes, Kikyou would hear the heart-wrenching crying of a little girl who had just been forced to relive some of the most painful memories of her life and a girl who no longer understood the sharp stabbing pain on the left side of her chest, what most would call, their hearts.

_**888**_

**An: **No. For those of you out there who thinks Kagome is suffering a mild heart attack.. I repeat.. no. I apologize now if my writing seems a tad constipated every time I get sentimental XD SOo! Good? Bad? Maybe? Yes? No?

Also, I've had several reviewers bring to my attention that _apparently _my chapters are really short…. Really?!

Thank you to every reader and reviewer, you guys are gold!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!**_

**Doll Secret**


	9. All these Sexual Innuendos

**Love thy Neighbor**

**All these sexual innuendos **

_**888**_

"… And they lived happily ever after. The end." His monotonous story-telling voice at long last came to its end.

"But papa," her round eyes blinked curiously, "what happened to the old man?" Rin thoughtfully pulled her king sized blanket around her as she made sure Mr. fluffy slept securely next to her and the other dozen dog toys surrounding her small frame on her bed.

"He eventually died from loneliness." Sesshomaru looked at the tiny girl with a bored expression as he lazily picked at the fluff balls on her bed. So he may be her legal guardian, but no one ever said he had to enjoy story time.

A small gasp escaped her, "Why was he lonely?"

"Because his wife died."

"She died?" So maybe he left out a few vital aspects to the story, no point crying over spilt milk right?

"Yes."

"How?"

"She was eaten." He sighed. Why wasn't she falling asleep? Maybe tomorrow he would try drugging her. Of course in small doses, he was after all a responsible man.

Rin's eyes glistened with curiosity as she tugged at her blanket again, "By who?"

"A cannibal." Sesshomaru answered flatly.

"What's that?"

"A person who eats people."

"Why did he eat the old man's wife?"

"Because he's a cannibal."

"Ohhh." And as if the reply had actually explained anything, realization dawned on her face as she gradually nodded in understanding. "Well that's not very nice." The comment was probably more to herself, but Sesshomaru 'mm'ed nonetheless.

"So papa?" He stared back but remained motionless, knowing that she would ask her question regardless, "Who lived happily ever after then?"

He paused for a bit. Good question, _who_ lived happily ever after? In fact, were there even any survivors by the end of the story. Hell, it was the generic ending to all fairytales, not that this was much of one, so Sesshomaru had said it anyway, just to be on the safe side.

".. The little boy who always ate carrots."

"What little boy who always ate carrots? You didn't tell me about him." She protested with a little punch on her bed.

"Well, he's the little boy who ate carrots all the time." He could only pray that the response would suffice once he realized he in fact was starting to get sleepy.

He quickly made a mental note to check out what kind of food the cook was preparing for Rin. There was no way anyone her age could be so freakishly energetic at this hour.

She contemplated his answer for a while before smiling in satisfaction at the response. "That's good then!" Sesshomaru only 'mm'ed again.

"Papa?"

"Yes Rin?" He stood up, hoping that it would make time in Rin's room seem shorter. It was all psychological mumbo jumbo.

"Is Unkie Inu in trouble?" Sesshomaru couldn't help but falter a bit at the quiver in her voice. Dammit, when had he become such a softie for the girl?! He needed to get laid.. pronto!

"Why do you ask?" His face displayed no emotions, although inside, he felt some sort of admiration towards the kindness of his adopted daughter.

"No reason." The answer was innocent, but not entirely true, and with the lack of response from her papa, she guiltily confessed. "Rin just knows that, that Naraku man has been calling papa a lot, and every time he calls it's about Unkie Inu, and Unkie Inu is such a naughty boy, Rin just thought that maybe, he's in trouble."

A naughty boy? That was an understatement. He placed a hand gently on her forehead as he shook his head. "No, Inuyasha is not in trouble.. for now."

With that, Sesshomaru began making his way out of her basketball court sized bedroom before he was stopped by her gentle voice just at the door. So close!

"Papa.. you can stop telling me bedtime stories…"

Uncharacteristically, he released a sigh of relief. Maybe after all the shit he cleaned up for Inuyasha, the Gods had decided to bless him with good karma….

".. you can sing me to sleep instead tomorrow night. Goodnight papa!"

… or not.

_**888**_

It had been four days since the disturbing encounter with Inuyasha, and things were oddly back to square one. Within those four days, Kagome had made sure to steer clear of the hanyou – mentally agreeing that her life was much better off without the temperamental neighbor. She even avoided leaving the apartment in fear that she would accidentally bump into him, and even when she did step foot outside her pint sized home, she had made sure Sango would keep her company.

But luck didn't seem to be on her side. It made her wonder that maybe she had committed an awful crime in her previous life, and now, karma was finally catching up. Either way, nothing prepared her for the little run in, literally, with Inuyasha just yesterday. For goodness sake, it was six in the morning! What on earth was 'he' doing six in the freaking morning?! She wanted to scream in agitation. She had busted her ass just to avoid him, which a lot of the times meant waking up this damn early to go grocery shopping. But no, even with all her efforts, he managed to haunt her everyday living.

For some reason she had found her shoes oddly interesting that morning, so without looking up when the elevator sounded, her head came in contact with a firm chest. As she stumbled back a few steps, two hands held her firmly by the shoulders, halting her unsteadiness. She was mid way through an apology and a quick 'thank you' before she abruptly stopped once her eyes had found its way to his golden orbs. She mentally froze in shock and fear before hastily stepping aside and walking jerkily into the elevator, in which he had just stepped out of – her head dipped low and her cheeks flushed red. What he did next puzzled her. It was odd really, it felt like a small eternity, but was perhaps only a few seconds long at the most.

He simply turned around and stood there staring at her. No smug smile, no angry frown, just an emotionless face. For a brief second, Kagome could've sworn she saw him falter a bit.. something akin to.. regret.. crossed his face. But it was only for a second because before Kagome could see anymore, the elevator doors closed on them. And that, was the end of their awkward and unwanted encounter. By noon that day, Kagome was able to successfully convince herself that she was just seeing things, that the look of regret that momentarily overtook his facial expression was just a lapse of her mentality.

However, as much as she avoided the hanyou, he never really left her conscious awareness. Ever since their argument, he had not left her mind once, and it confused and annoyed her to great lengths. The countless emotions that she felt left her mystified, but she couldn't exactly say that the emotions were all bad. Some were new to her, some were hauntingly familiar, but ultimately, the important thing was that no one had ever made her feel so confused all at once… up until now. The morning of the confrontation left her in tears as she had sobbed to her cousin.. and she couldn't understand why. Why had she cried? Why had it hurt so much? For some reason, it truly felt like a suffocating squeeze of her heart that left her fighting for air.

So now, here she was, sitting in front of her TV, blindly watching another soap opera whilst he was probably entertaining his 'guests'. Yes, they were back to square one. The two nights prior to the elevator meeting, Kagome was once again hearing those gag-worthy artificial giggling outside her apartment. For some reason, this did not sit well with her. She couldn't quite explain it, but for the rest of the night, she couldn't get that horrid girlish giggle out of her system. She let out a long sigh. This whole event was playing on her mind a lot more than she had expected.

"I'm so lonely.." she breathed out.

"..I think I need a hug." Her eyes shifted to the right, but still no reaction.

"Chocolates would be good too."

".. But that's okay.. I'll survive… I suppose." Still it was silent.

"Kouga are you listening to me?!" She asked hotly, throwing a cushion at him.

Swiftly dodging the cushion, he replied hastily, "Yes yes sweetheart, you're lonely, I get it. I'll buy you a cat next time." His eyes failed to leave the laptop screen as he continued to madly punch on the keys.

She was starting to regret her decision of asking Kouga to come over. Of all people she just had to choose the workaholic. It was no surprise to her the moment he had showed up at her door with a laptop in one hand and a vague greeting of a quick kiss on the cheek as he was too busy speaking to a client on his cell phone. Way to make a girl feel special.

For the past hour or so, it seemed as though Kouga had completely failed to acknowledge the presence of Kagome as he remained silently typing away on his laptop. Kagome on the other hand, had not stopped whining. Either he had figured out a way to block out her voice or he was just very good at pretending to ignore her existence, either way, it still left Kagome pondering whether to kick him in the face or not – that ought to get his undivided attention. He was lucky he had such a good-looking face, otherwise Kagome would have deformed it in a second!

"You know, you're not doing a very good job keeping me company." She sulked a bit, pulling another cushion towards her chest.

This caught his attention a bit as he stopped typing for a brief moment and looked at her, somewhat guiltily, "You know your mom is going to kill me for this right?" he asked as he hesitantly closed his laptop shut, "She expects these files on her desk by nine tomorrow morning."

Kagome merely shook her head and shrugged.

"No? The sympathy card not working?"

"Afraid not."

"Dammit." He clicked his fingers dramatically.

"It's not like mom would ever fire you anyways." She tied her hair back in a high ponytail as Kouga made himself more comfortable on the couch.

She had known Kouga long enough to forget the precise date they had met but short enough to not be sick of his sporadic weirdness. He was a childhood friend of some sort, close enough to tell her secrets to, but friendly enough to avoid the sibling relationship. As an ambitious 24-year-old man, Kouga worked alongside Souta Higurashi, under Mrs. Higurashi's wing.

"Kagome, you don't know that. Life isn't as easy as what you make it out to be." He replied nonchalantly as he uncaringly flicked through the channels.

Her shoulders sagged a bit. Was she really that oblivious to the reality of life as Inuyasha had put it? More disturbingly, was Inuyasha right about her?

Turning her body to face Kouga, who now had his legs lazily propped onto the coffee table with a look that told her he was much more entertained by his work, she asked, "Kouga?"

He made a sound of acknowledgement but continued flicking through the channels without so much as a glance.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Must you?" The reply was instant, almost as though he had anticipated the oncoming interrogation.

"Ummm, yes?"

He jerked suddenly as realization dawned on him, "Does this have anything to do with that Christmas party? Coz I swear I had no idea he was gay! It was a free drink dammit! Anyone would've taken it, anyone!" He pointed at her defensively.

"No Kouga, it's not that." She replied flatly. Sometimes this man was all just looks. Shame really, he really did have quite a cute butt.

"It's not the New year's eve party is it?" He asked suspiciously, "Look, that she-man was coming onto ME, _not _the other way around! If anyone tells you otherwise, there lies.. all lies!"

"No Ko-"

"And just for your information, my pants happened to be in the same color as that skirt, I was simply confused when I was putting them on at Benno's barbeque."

"Kouga!" She chucked the last cushion at him which hit him square in the face, "Just listen to my question!"

He looked confused, "What question?"

With an animal-like growl, she gritted her teeth and replied, "The one I've yet to ask." If looks could kill, Kouga would've died ten times over before hitting the ground.

"Ohhh, gotcha!" He gave her a little wink that she could only respond to by rolling her eyes as he leaned back into the couch, relaxed again.

"Kouga… do you think… I'm spoilt?"

He went quiet for a while, his face displaying little emotions. Either he was really taking this question seriously, or he just didn't hear her, but Kagome decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and tried to remain patient as she waited for a reply. He scratched his chin a bit, but that was about the only movement he made for a good five minutes. She tried to not look like she was anticipating his answer, but the constant glances at him probably gave her away.

He looked at her and smiled, "I suppose you are.." Her heart fell upon hearing his answer, "and I suppose you aren't." he finished with a blasé shrug.

She went silent for a bit before giving Kouga an incredulous look, "You had all that time to think and you give me that!?"

"Hey!" he protested indignantly, "I put a lot of thought into that!" Funny, was it just Kagome or was this grown man pouting?

She blinked hard at him, wishing she hadn't chucked both cushions at him already, "That's not even an answer! That's a cop out!"

She inhaled and exhaled calmly, praying to the Gods above for some kind of patience… patience she knew was fast running down the drain.

"Hey! You asked me a question and I answered it!" He was starting to really regret coming by to keep her company whilst knowing he was on such a tight deadline. He should've known women spelt trouble.. especially the Higurashi women.

"You answered nothing!"

"For your information, I was going to elaborate!" he retaliated.

Kagome crossed her arms and looked away, "Pssh, liar." She mumbled under her breath.

He simply mirrored her actions "Spoilt."

Instantly pointing an accusing finger to his nose and jumping onto the couch, she cried, "Hah! So you DO think I'm spoilt!"

"I said sometimes!" He protested. For some reason, he rose his arms up into the air as if he was being held at gunpoint and leaned back as she was getting dangerously close.

"Sometimes isn't good enough!"

Just as he was preparing his retaliation, three hard knocks sounded through her door, instantly diverting their attention, "I'll get it!" Seeing his opportunity to escape, Kouga leaped off the couch and jogged to the door. With an easy turn on the knob, the door was opened.

If the Gods were watching, they would've said something along the lines of, 'Kouga, say hello to Inuyasha.' And then laughed.

_**888**_

Damn his conscience! Damn everything to hell! In fact, when the fuck had he grown a conscience anyways?! Last time he checked, he was still that cold, heartless bastard who failed to shed a single tear in 'The notebook.' So what was happening to him? He was totally losing it, most probably due to the many blows to his head. Yeah, that explains everything. It's not uncommon really, many fighters who have suffered severe brain damage have experienced drastic personality change because of impairment to the frontal lobe – according to Miroku.

Inuyasha released a sigh of relief. Yes, he was just going through a personality change, or to a less drastic extent, experiencing mid-life crisis.. at 25 years of age.. the world is full of surprises.. it could still be possible!!

He growled in agitation as he rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow. If he really was going through a mid life crisis, or brain damage, why is it only her face that keeps popping up into his mind? Why couldn't he erase the look of shocked hurt on her face at his harsh words from his memory? And why, after four days, was it still eating him up from inside?

Nothing made sense to him anymore. Ever since the girl entered his life, everything he had grown to know and accept was fast flying out the window. This sense of unknowingness was gnawing at his nerves as he hated the feeling of not being in charge of the situation.. or his emotions. It seemed like these days, everything was out of his control, and as a fighter who plans his every move, he suddenly felt vulnerable and confused.

What bothered him the most was the fact that his near death experience was largely overridden by the mere possibility of hurting the girl. Sure enough the fear of dying and the guilt of so easily giving up played heavily on his mind.. but that did little to compare to the whirlwind of emotions in which he went through after his hurtful words. Yes, even he knew his words were harsh, and funnily enough, he had said them to the least deserving person he had ever known. He cringed into his pillow. Did he mean it? Surely it seemed his words were true about anyone in her situation, yet everything in him did not in the slightest convince him that his words applied to Kagome.

They were no more than words aimed to hurt her as a release of his anger – but they meant nothing. He didn't mean any of it, but what was he to do now? What was said has been said.. no point crying over spilt milk.

Ordinarily he would've brushed it off to the side without so much as a second thought, but clearly for the past four days, it had proven that this was anything but ordinary. He couldn't quite explain it, but the moment he walked out of the lift and saw her again, his throat tightened up yet simultaneously he felt an odd sense of relief. Perhaps it was the idea of seeing her okay, or maybe it was his opportunity to make things better again, but what caught him off guard was her demeanor. She was uncomfortable around him. And it was at that point he had wished he had not said any of those cruel words to her.

He looked on like a fool as the elevator doors were closing. He wanted to say something, anything that could've made things less awkward, but unfortunately his brain was at a stand still. And by then, it was too late.

Dammit, all this thinking was definitely unhealthy, so Inuyasha abruptly stood up and made his way to his en suite, hoping to clear his head a bit with a shower. Unfortunately for his over-worked mind, he was left more confused than he originally was when realization dawned on him that for the past few days, he had not slept with anyone even when the opportunity was right in front of his face. No doubt the women that kept him company at night kept him up for a _very _long time, but after all the fooling around and time came for the real deal, he had feigned fatigue and simply ushered them out of his apartment.

He absolutely refused to question the guilt and the idea of how a certain someone would perceive him. For pity's sake, when the hell did he start to care?!

That's it! Tonight, he was going to get laid. No if's, and's or but's. Things would return to normal by then. He was sure of it..

Not even the Gods could stop him!

_**888**_

So here he was, standing outside her door, like a loser no doubt, clutching onto the cash in his hands as tightly as possible as he chastised himself for being so weak.

There goes his resolution of getting laid.

He had no idea what he was doing, but whatever it was, the force around him brought him directly outside his neighbor's door. It was almost as though it was beyond his control as he hesitantly knocked on the door, not sure of what to prepare for. But then again, she was just a girl.. what was there to expect anyways..

How wrong.

As the door swung open, Inuyasha had to mentally remind himself to remain standing as his eyes made contact with… light blue eyes?.. a man's, no less..

For some unknown reason, Inuyasha's fists clenched as his defense mechanism came barging in.

Why the hell was there a man in Kagome's apartment?

"Cannn," Kouga dragged out, slightly weirded out by the deathly look he was getting, "I help you?" He finished off suspiciously. Seriously, he had only just met the guy and here he was getting stared down as if he had murdered his family.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha all but asked rudely and _very _bluntly.

Kouga raised an eyebrow, "Excuse m-"

"What are you doing in Kagome's apartment?" Inuyasha continued impatiently as he pronounced each word syllable by syllable.

"Hey dog boy," he spat back, instantly defensive as well, "what I do here is none of-"

"Where is Kagome?"

Said girl could only sit on the couch, numb by shock and dread.

"Who the hell do you th-"

Before Kouga could finish or get another word in, Kagome finally snapped out of her reverie as she uneasily made her presence in the room known….

"Uhh.." Only to be completely ignored.

"Save it! I asked you what you were doing here, now answer, or leave." How he held authority over Kagome's guests was completely beyond the raven head, nonetheless, she continued to look on anxiously.

They were glaring intensely at each other before Kouga's facial expression slowly turned to that of a smug smirk.

"Well," he crossed his arms over his chest coolly as he leaned on the doorframe, "What do you _think_ a man and a beautiful lady would be doing.. at this time of night.. all alone?"

Kagome nearly died on the spot at what he was implying. Her face turned two shades of red, but this was not acknowledged by either of the two visitors.

"But I guess someone like you wouldn't understand."

For a moment it looked like Inuyasha was ready to lunge at Kouga, but that was not detected by anyone as he too, smirked, "Yes, but like I said.. what are _you_ doing here?"

Kouga's smug smile was immediately wiped off his face at the underlying implication that he was not a man and Kagome couldn't help the surprised look on her face.

Clearly neither of the two 'adults' were going to back down any time soon, so against her will, Kagome hesitantly walked to the door standing beside Kouga as she tried to subtly elbow him out of the way. Inuyasha's gaze flickered towards her for a brief moment before he returned to glaring distrustingly at the wolf.

"Um, hi?" She said stupidly, shooting both men a nervous look.

"Here." Inuyasha spoke gruffly, finally acknowledging her, although he failed to look her in the eyes… but at least he and Kouga weren't having a staring match anymore.

Kouga merely stood there, watching on like a predator stalking his prey. Inuyasha seemed harmless around Kagome, so that would at least save him the trouble of right hooking the hanyou.

Inuyasha shoved a fist towards Kagome's direction, but from her clueless look, he explained, "The money." Still she continued to look at him with a strange expression. Gods, must he really repeat that damned night?! "For the other night." He finished off curtly, refusing to elaborate even if she still didn't understand.

Luckily she did as she "oh"ed quietly and awkwardly grabbed the bunch of green notes from his fist.

There was a vague moment's of peace, where it seemed as though Kagome and Inuyasha had momentarily forgotten about the wolf – but that was short-lived.

"What," Kouga gritted out forcefully, "other night?"

The attention turned abruptly to Kouga as he was seemingly trying to suppress his.. rage?

_'What the hell is his problem now?'_ Kagome mentally rolled her eyes.

Men are so dramatic! Really! All Inuyasha did was hand her a bunch of notes, said it was for the.. other.. _night _..

………….

Oh… my … God

He wasn't thinking what she thought he was thinking right?!

She looked desperately at Inuyasha, and from the arrogant smirk on his face, her fears were only confirmed.

Kouga thought she had _slept _with Inuyasha and now he's _paying _her?! Yuck!!

"Wait! No! Kouga! You've got it all wr-"

Inuyasha suavely interrupted her as he playfully looked at her lovingly, "You did a great job that night sweetheart."

A low growl rumbled from Kouga, but he remained stationary, probably overtaken by anger.

"But-" Kagome cried desperately. What the hell was he saying? Why is Inuyasha doing this to her?

_'Why me?!' _Kagome screamed to herself.

"But nothing Kagome. You left me breathless that night," to a certain level, he wasn't lying, he really was impressed at how she had cleaned up his apartment, "I really appreciate how you don't mind getting into the.. dirty stuff." Maybe the tone in which he used when he said the last two words were unnecessary and TOTALLY perverted, but hey, she was cleaning his apartment, if Kouga wanted to misinterpret what he was saying then that's _his_ problem.

Kagome couldn't only stand there, stunned out of her socks. _'oh.. my.. God..' _

No words could express the accomplishment in Inuyasha, the injustice in Kagome and the rage in Kouga. All in all, Inuyasha had once again left her speechless as he trotted proudly back into his apartment.

Maybe things would never return to normal, because perhaps _this _was the new 'normal'. A new normal that consisted of a raven-haired girl.

"Goodnight sweetheart! Hope to have you over sometime soon again."

If she thought he would simply leave on that note, she had another thing coming..

"By the way, next time, maybe you should try a maid's outfit when we… _'do it'_… again."

_**888**_

**An: **Wow, I didn't think this day would come, but chapter nine is actually up n' going… tear. Thank you for all the reviews, PM's and emails! I admit, I lost a bit of motivation along the way and with such a busy schedule, it was just one more reason to procrastinate.. but I re-read all reviews, pm's and emails and here I am!

Sorry for the delayed update guys! I've already started on chapter 10, so rest easy and know that chapter 10 won't take nearly as long…

…but then again.. I'm writing a new one-shot.. I know I know.. I just couldn't help myself.

Just one more time: Thank you for all the support everyone!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc.**_

**Doll Secret**


	10. A bit too long, a bit too much

**Love thy Neighbor**

**A bit too long, a bit too much**

_**888**_

Soft, bitter chuckling echoed eerily across the empty bar as another shot of hard liquor was downed. He winced momentarily as the warm liquid burned his throat and blurred his mind. He didn't care how long he had been drinking, how many shots he had consumed or even how grumpy the bartender was for having to open one in the afternoon just for him. Inuyasha just couldn't give a shit in life anymore.

"Boy, I think that's enough." The middle-aged bartender spoke sternly.

Inuyasha showed no signs of acknowledging the warning, having ignored the same warning an hour ago, instead he lazily tapped the bar, silently signaling for another round of straight vodkas. The man had no choice but to cater to the hanyou's needs with a pointless shrug. Who was he to teach the boy some lessons in life? Plus the fact that said boy was under Naraku's wing gave him more reason to just keep quiet.

His head slumped forward and half his body was practically leaning across the stool next to him, and to the human eye, he looked like your average drunk. However, unbeknown to the bartender, or anyone else for that matter, his eyes continued to hold its intensity… although it held no hope. Whilst his hanyou senses were only beginning to gradually succumb to the effects of the outrageous amount of alcohol he had already consumed that morning, the thoughts running thought his mind was still clear and vicious enough to suffocate his conscience.

The burning sensation every time he took a shot offered him a vague moment of salvation as it put his mind to a complete blank. But once the feeling evaporated, he was again left with his internal demons. It was a losing a battle, he knew it, he would never be able to defeat his demons… because perhaps, they weren't actually demons, but in fact a reality that was so harsh and cruel to him, that he had given up on life itself.

He chuckled again, a sound so dark that the bartender couldn't help but glance worriedly at the half-demon. This was the path he had chosen, so in some twisted way or another, everything was partly his responsibility, his fault to blame.. and was it all really worth it? He didn't want to think anymore.

_"Inuyasha," Miroku said happily, "I've got some good news for you."_

_The golden-orbed hanyou merely gave him a distracted nod as he continued to flick through the early morning paper._

_"You, my friend, have made it through the next round!"_

Inuyasha shook his head. He should have known then that Miroku's voice was too happy, because even for a chirpy personality like his, it still sounded rehearsed.

He had paused completely, his mind failing to grasp onto the idea. The newspaper had slipped through his fingers and he had simply listened to Miroku's ranting, in which he was by then sure that it was a forced cheerfulness.

_"Once you are done with that, with ease of course, you are into the quarter finals."_

_Either Miroku really didn't realize Inuyasha's stationary stance or he was simply ignoring it, either way, he continued pointlessly ranting on. Little did he know, the more he spoke, the more uncomfortable his demeanor was looking. _

_"From the quarter finals onwards, for every win, a party will be thrown for the victor, courtesy of their sponsors – but whether you attend or not is entirely up to you since I know you get kind of, shall I say, busy, with your women." Even with the suggestive look, it was obvious Miroku was getting a bit on edge._

Inuyasha's senses were blurring more and more as the burning taste was beginning to drastically numb. Good, maybe this way he would stop feeling too… maybe even stop breathing?

_"Miroku," Inuyasha finally spoke. His voice was low and completely serious._

_But said friend simply dodged the confrontation, "Since your name is back in the tournament-"_

_"How?" He asked, equally as low and serious._

_But Miroku showed no indications of hearing him, "-the betting odds have once again changed drastically- in your favor."_

_He was starting to subtly make his way towards the door, but Inuyasha remained calmly sitting on his kitchen bench stool._

_"We're talking millions here. Naraku, Sesshomaru, Hiten brothers, you name it, they've all-"_

_"What has happened to Jiro Aoi?"_

_Inuyasha had been in the business for too long to not know the tricks and trades, and suddenly, Miroku's façade dropped as his face was replaced with a distressing look. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he spoke, "Inuyasha," he sighed tiredly, "what difference will it make if you knew? You're in-"_

_"Yes," Inuyasha interrupted hotly, his patience finally snapping, "I'm in by default! I understand that-"_

_Miroku's temper flared a bit as well as he retaliated, "You were also out by default too!"_

_It went quiet for a bit, before Inuyasha calmly although dangerously spoke, "Don't make me repeat myself."_

_Miroku looked defeated and tired as he sighed and shook his head. He was not only a manager, but the closest thing to a friend Inuyasha had, there was no way of hiding it._

_"The kid was in a fatal car crash. He died last night."_

The boy who replaced Inuyasha in entering the next round dies. What a coincident.

Inuyasha downed another shot.

_**888**_

"I'll answer it!" Rin squealed as she bounced from the kitchen towards the entrance marble doors.

Sesshomaru leisurely made his way down the stairs of his enormous estate as he purposely ignored the desperate look of help from the door-boy. Entering the kitchen the way he normally does, silently and with poise, his chef was quick to serve him with the finest foods for breakfast. But just like usual, Sesshomaru spared the food not even a glance as he opted to pick up the newspaper, leaving the chef, once again, crestfallen and confused. What exactly did Sesshomaru like to eat?

"Miss Rin, perhaps I should assist you in openi-"

"Thank-you, but no thanks. Rin can do it herself." She smiled up in all her toothy glory.

The doorbell rang again, impatiently, as Rin struggled to open the door. The door-boy looked on in confusion. Did Sesshomaru not want the door open? Her little hands were wrapped tightly around the golden handle as her body dangled loosely.

"Sesshomaru open this door right now!"

Sighing lowly and closing his eyes, he quickly prayed to get out of this morning unscathed. Giving his hand a vague flick, the door-boy nodded quickly and opened the door, Rin and all. In all her Prada glory, Kagura stormed into the house, heels clicking loudly on the marble floors.

"Oh hello Miss Kagura." Rin greeted politely as she let go of the handles and landed on the tiles with a dull thud.

"Hi honey," She replied quickly and distractedly before turning sharp eyes at the poised, and very ignorant mighty dog sitting at the head of the table, most likely pretending to read the paper just to ignore her. "Have you _read_ the papers?!" She demanded hotly, throwing her newspaper on the table.

He briefly shuffled the papers, silently implying that 'yes, what do you think I'm doing right now?'

"Tell me you have something up your sleeves! Tell me we haven't-"

"Miss Kagura, would you like some orange juice?" Rin asked chirpily as she bounced around her.

"-just thrown a few million dollars down the drain!" She pleaded angrily, before turning to Rin and replying quickly albeit kindly, "No thank you sweetheart."

So he replied monotonously and dully, "We haven't."

She breathed in deeply as she rolled her beautiful mascara coated eyes. If he wasn't the damn CEO or the owner of the entire empire, she would've strangled him long ago, "We haven't?" she asked skeptically and disbelievingly, striking a rather sexy but mainly dominant pose.

"No."

She felt small hands tugging at her fur coat before she looked down to find Rin's enormous eyes staring adoringly up at her, "Miss Kagura? We have jelly beans, would you like some jelly beans?"

She smiled patiently with the girl seeing as though Rin wasn't the one she wanted to murder, "Maybe later?" Her answer was reciprocated with a nod from the child and a flick of Sesshomaru's gaze that went by unnoticed.. thankfully.

"I hope you know what you're doing Sesshomaru," she turned her attention back onto him, "Because your brother is proving harder to handle. As his sponsors, we've already thrown millions to get him to this stage, which you know, is fine!" She waved her hands dramatically for an added effect.

All the while, Sesshomaru kept his gaze firmly in the comics section of the newspaper, "But he represents our brand," she continued hotly, "and our brand needs to continue to hold its healthy and first-rate reputation, and let me tell you this," Kagura rubbed the bridge of her nose, pausing to take a deep breath, "drugs is NOT a healthy and first-rate reputation, and it is definitely not something we should have our clothing line mixed up with!"

"Suku will not be mixed up with drugs-"

"Your brother-"

"I know what happened to my brother, and so will the tabloids tomorrow. He was drugged, plain and simple."

Kagura went silent for a while, seemingly contemplating what Sesshomaru just said. "So are you telling me Inuyasha didn't _willingly _take the drugs?"

"What I'm telling you is that the truth really doesn't matter that much so long as the tabloid believes what you want them to believe… but if it makes you rest easy at night.. then no, he didn't take them willingly."

"Ahh." And she sat down, which only meant one thing to Sesshomaru.. she wasn't going to leave anytime soon.. dear god..

_**888**_

"Kouga," She chuckled extremely forcefully, holding onto the phone with a death grip, "I don't think I quite understand."

A heavy sigh followed by quick, hurried typing was heard on the other line, "What's there to understand?" He asked distractedly, still typing away on his keyboard, probably now in his office, "The message is simple and clear."

"I don't believe this," Kagome grounded out in disbelief, "I don't believe this!" She repeated in amplified volume, continually slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand.

She glared at the phone when no reply or any sort of consolation came from Kouga. Obviously he didn't think it was a big deal. Men. "You understand that this is inhumane right? It goes against all my civil rights!"

"Sweetheart, you're on speaker and you're scaring my secretary.. Margaret, isn't she a scary witch?" The last part was muffled as Kouga had probably really made the effort to go out of his way just to further piss Kagome off.

"Good! Let everyone know how I'm being mistreated by my own family!" She declared indignantly, "And you Kouga, you traitor!"

The typing ceased instantly, "Hey! These are specific orders from your mom, so technically, I'm just the messenger boy!" He jabbed a finger at his Versace clad chest.

It went quiet, eerily quiet when there were no reply or explosive comebacks. Maybe she had hung up? Nah, no dial tone. "Kago-"

"Kouga," She grounded out lowly and dangerously, instantly gaining his undivided attention, "I thought you said my _mother _was going to cut my credit cards-"

"Well yes-" he spoke uneasily, only to be completely ignored.

Showing no indication that she had in the slightest acknowledged him, she continued without pausing, "-so explain to me why my gas and electricity has just been cut off." Her voice was like the calm before the storm.

"Ahhh.." Kouga tried to remain collected; he was after all the man in this… a man having to deal with a psychotic explosive volcano who had just conveniently realized that she'd also have to pay for her own bills. Lovely.

"Must have slipped my mind! Your mom also informed me to tell you that as of today, she will discontinue all payments made towards the apartment.. I do believe her precise words were 'kindly let my daughter know that she needs a job.' Which explains-"

"I hate you so much Kouga." She hissed.

"What?! I didn't make this decision! It-" but it was too late, she had hung up.

Throwing his hands in the air as he leaned back into his leather chair, he cried "Typical!"

Turning her head and peeking into his office, Margaret his secretary asked cluelessly and a little air headed, "Yes Mr. Hiroshima?" How she had mistaken 'typical' and 'Margaret' was completely beyond Kouga.

"Uhh.. keep up the good work!" And he gave her his cheesiest smile.

_**888**_

"Miss Kagura, would you like to see Dr.Zeus, I made him myself?" She asked shyly.

Kagura caught a glimpse of the gangly bunch of sticks she was holding in her hands and refrained from making a face, "Oh that's beautiful honey."

"Yes. But papa says it reminds him of you.. I don't think so, do you?"

Sesshomaru nearly choked as he subtly lifted the newspaper higher to cover his face the moment Kagura turned cold sharp eyes on him. "Mm." She smiled forcefully, "Why don't you get me those jelly beans you promised earlier?"

With a sharp giggle, Rin walked off to retrieve the confectionary as Kagura glared passed the newspaper. Choosing to ignore Rin's comment she asked, "What about the Jiro Aoi boy?"

Finally placing the newspaper down and for the first time since her arrival making eye contact with Kagura, Sesshomaru spoke, "Let Naraku worry about that."

"But-" she tried to intervene, knowing the bad implication and the linkage of Jiro Aoi's death and Inuyasha.

"What Naraku chooses to do in his spare time is none of our concern."

Before she could have another word, Rin had made her way towards her with a large bowl of jelly beans that seemed like she was having trouble holding up.

"Here you go."

Kagura looked on awkwardly. Sweets wasn't exactly her thing, "Oh, thank you Rin."

"That's alright, but you can't have any of the red ones, those are papa's favorite."

Sesshomaru almost died.

_**888**_

After having cursed at anything and everything she could possibly think of, from her current situation to that dent in the wall, she decided that her apartment had noticeably dropped a few degrees. Shivering visibly and quickly glancing at the clock, she grudgingly grabbed her raincoat and decided to, for once in her life, listen to her mother… she was going to find herself a job.

So here she was, trudging along the streets against the harsh winds and numerous people as they hurriedly made their way home from a day's work. The sky was progressively getting darker and the night air was fast approaching. She held her raincoat tighter against her body as she shifted her red scarf around her neck. She wanted to smack herself for her own stupidity. Shops were closing, not to mention she didn't exactly have a resume to hand to any of the employers. Great, now she was aimlessly strolling the streets, following the direction of the larger crowd before she realized she was heading close to their local beach.

She shivered just by looking at the enormous waves. Even the pier, as large as it may be, didn't seem sturdy enough to withstand the forces of nature. And just look at the bozo sitting like a loner at the edge of the pier. Freaks everywhere these days. Freaks with long silver .. hair?

Kagome's eyes widened instantly as realization hit her.

"Inuyasha?" she questioned softly to herself.

Ordinarily she would've simply ignored his weird doings, and especially from the joke he pulled yesterday on her and Kouga, she would've in fact stormed in the opposite direction just so she wouldn't have to see his smug face. But curiosity this time got the better of her and before she knew it, she was wobbly stepping onto the pier.

"If you fall, can I move into your apartment?"

His back stiffened visibly at the sound of her voice, but this went by unknown to Kagome as she was too focused on keeping herself steady as she walked _very _slowly towards him.

"No. Now go away." And he continued to stare out into the ocean.

As nervous as she was walking along the pier and being so close to the waves, she clicked her fingers, "Shame. What about your cable? Can I have your cable?" she asked off-handedly.

Still he didn't bother looking at her as he kept quiet. She stood behind him as she tensely peered over him and into the dark raging waters. "Mm," she hummed thoughtfully, "water looks kind of cold."

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Standing behind you so that if anything were to happen, you'd break my fall." She shrugged nonchalantly, although she was somewhat shaking in nervousness inside.

"How noble of you." He rolled his eyes, hoping she'd leave him in peace soon. "You know what I mean."

"Well," she pondered, "what are _you_ doing out here?" She quickly glanced at his back, hoping she hadn't sound too suspicious. The waves were seemingly getting larger and fiercer and the sky had quickly become an eerie blue.

She shivered in the cold but he remained ignorant towards the dropping temperature around him, "I can't take it anymore." He breathed quietly, instantly capturing Kagome's attention, as shocked as she may be at having him take her so seriously. "I don't want to live anymore."

Kagome took a sharp intake of the cold air, as her body felt numb from both the cold and the depressing demeanor in front of her. It went silent for awhile, Inuyasha making it obvious that he wasn't going to elaborate anytime soon, so hesitantly, she spoke up, "What's happened?" she asked cautiously, moving to sit beside him, although instead of letting her legs hang over the pier like his were, she chose to cross them.

He breathed loudly, looking away from her, "Do you ever get the feeling of nausea every time you know you have to face something? The feeling of complete disgust because you just can't stand it?"

She shook her head 'no' without hesitation, "Can't say that I have."

"Well," he sighed, and then smiled sadly as he focused on her for the first time upon her arrival, "My neighbor makes me feel that way… she makes me want to die." His face remained calm and completely serious.

Kagome did an excellent impression of a fish as he left her momentarily speechless before her eyes grew to slits, "Tch, I should've known better than to have really taken you seriously." She crossed her arms against her chest and looked away. "Should've also known that you're still that jerky jerk even when you look like you're on the verge of committing suicide."

"Mm." he hummed casually, "That's what makes me insanely sexy." He leaned back onto his arms and stared at her.. with that hot intense stare. "Are you getting turned on yet? Because I am."

Choking on her saliva, she whipped her head at him, "What is the matter with you?!" Her look was nothing short of pure disgust and shock.

He shrugged, "You tell me, you're the one sitting here talking to me."

"F.Y.I Inuyasha," She growled, "I'm here because you," she pointed an accusing finger at him, "look like you're about to jump off this pier and die!"

"Yeah, you have that effect on people."

That was the last straw, because straight away, she stood up rigidly, trying her hardest to keep her composure. "Well then," she dramatically tugged at her coat, "good day to you!" And with that, she whipped around and forgetting that she was on a pier surrounded by a never-ending ocean of violent waves, marched towards the shore… not realizing the slippery surface that had formed because of the waves.

Before reaching her fifth step, her left foot skidded jerkily on the floorboards before her right foot tripped behind her. Had she not taken a seat besides Inuyasha, which therefore meant taking a seat right on the edge of the pier, she may not have fallen. And had the wind been a little less harsh, it would not have pushed her into the dark abyss of water.. of nothingness.

But she _had _taken a seat next to Inuyasha, and the wind _was_ harsh. She fell.

She had fallen six meters from the pier and into the raging waters, with a fearful scream and a rather quiet splash before it went quiet again.

Inuyasha immediately turned around, squinting his eyes in the dark as he tried to make out the shape of the girl who had just been sitting next to him. Yes he had heard the scream and also the splash, but given all the embarrassing situations he had placed her in, he wouldn't be surprised if this was one of her paybacks. But still, he couldn't get that weird feeling in his stomach to go away.

"Wench?' He called out unsurely. No reply. Turning back around and facing the ocean once more, he spoke, "Keh, if you think your little joke is going to fool me, think again."

Still… no reply.

He frowned, that weird feeling in his stomach slowly rising to his chest as he once again turned back around, this time, steadily getting up.

"Wench?" He called out yet another time, slowly making his way down the pier, towards the shore.

His heart beat sped up as he was greeted by nothing but the waves crashing against each other, "Kagome?!" He yelled, this time with much urgency.

Then suddenly, it caught his attention, the ripples in the water below him.

"Shit!" He was suddenly struck with so much panic it nearly winded him. Without thinking, just doing, he tore off his thick leather jacket and pulled off his shoes, knowing that the heavy raincoat she was wearing must have dragged her down; he dived into the angry ocean without so much of a second thought.

The moment he hit the waters, all air was sucked out of him and it felt as though his body was being stabbed by a thousand knives. But his body kept going. His mind blurred from the intense coldness, yet for some reason, his body seemed to be acting on its on accord as it continually swam desperately deeper into the water.

Perhaps it was the sheer panic, because even though he knew it was futile and senseless, he called for her under water, "_Kagome?!_"

It was terrifyingly dark under the water, and given the amount of time that had passed, he knew for a mere mortal, it was starting to get dangerous. Kicking his legs as hard as demonly possible, he swam.. even though by now, there was no way he'd be able to see her, even with his hanyou abilities.

And then suddenly, he sensed her. He didn't know what it was but he was sure of it. It was like his body was being pulled towards her and he knew he had found her. His arms blindly thrashed around him, begging to come in contact with her body before his prayers were answered. His right arm hit something soft and he knew straight away, she was right there. Blindly maneuvering his hands all over her, he searched hurriedly for her head.

Wrapping one arm tightly around her waist, he pulled her securely towards his own body as his other hand grabbed the back of her head and drew it towards his own. Instantly he pushed his mouth onto hers and breathed into her. His lips forced hers to open as his tongue pushed her lower jaw downwards to allow him access to transfer his oxygen into her body. Her frame jerked a bit as he continued to simultaneously swim upwards and stimulate her breathing again.

Even as a hanyou, he was starting to lose his oxygen, but gratefully, he was starting to see the outline of the moon above the surface of the water.

Coming up dramatically with an incredible intake of air, Inuyasha instantly called for her again, "Kagome!" He shook her face a bit, but still urgently, as his other arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist.

"I know you're alright, okay?!" he spoke breathlessly, swimming hurriedly and desperately towards the shore, "Don't weasel out on me now!" he demanded.

Maybe it was to calm his own nerves, that if he spoke to her, it would seem like she was fine.. because she wasn't replying at all.

"Say something!".. it almost sounded like he was begging, as he lifted her bridal style and ran forcefully towards the shore once the waters were shallow enough.

She wasn't even moving. There were no signs that she was breathing anymore. Her body was cold and her face was horrifically pale.

He anxiously placed her on the sand upon arriving on shore as he brushed her wet hair away from her face. His heavy breathing and the deafening thumps of his heartbeat were the only sounds he could hear.

He shook her shoulders, "Kagome." He called out gently, but still out of breath.

She did not budge.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck. "No..."

_**888**_

**An: **O.o …… "Sing hallejuah, sing it, sing hallelujuah, sing it! Yeah, sing hallelujuah" Try writing a chapter with that song in your head.

Thanks for reading, reviews, pm's and emails!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc.**_

**Doll Secret**


	11. Ugly comes first then Brazilian models

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Ugly comes first – then Brazilian models**

_**888**_

_A thousand shards of the sharpest glass penetrated the numbness of my immobile body. In the elongated nanoseconds remaining of my elusive consciousness, I expected something to pull my body out of this intense coldness, but everything around me appeared stationary. I continued to feel the ruthless stabbing motion of a thousands knives against my body as the coldness progressively turned to pain. _

_The air had long been sucked entirely out of my lungs, and what was left inside of me was the suffocating sensation that could only be described as though I were desperately albeit futilely fighting in the dark. _

_I don't recall closing my eyes, but I could no longer see. The piercing of the knives and the heavy feeling of suffocation faded and vanished, as did the fear of death and the prospect of loneliness._

_One by one, every thought of survival and hope diminished. I could sense nothing.._

_And then, the nothingness was gone._

_**888**_

Her body jolted violently into an upright position as she viciously gasped for air. Beads of sweat rolled down her pale skin as her chest heaved heavily and her hands grasped harshly onto the sheets. She winced instantly at the sudden movement and her heavy head propelled her to fall back limply on the bed. Her throat felt dry, her lids were heavy and her body was fighting to decide between whether it was hot or cold. Her entire body felt beyond her control, as though she had inhabited someone else's body.

She closed her eyes, not caring where she was, what had happened or even who she was… she was just too tired and much too weak.

She could feel it, possibly about the only thing she was still able to sense, her salvation was arriving. Her mind was blurring again, her breathing was evening out and gradually she was being drawn into a world of black oblivion. Sleep.

"Another relapse?" A nonchalant voice asked as the sound of flipping pages filled the room. How Kagome didn't hear it before was beyond her. The voice sounded uncaring, but the fakeness seeped through. The nonchalance was just a façade.

Her head felt like a ton of bricks and her throat was constricting from dryness, but her hoarse voice and defiant personality managed a reply, "Not you again." She croaked out, but her eyes remained closed.

"God you sound terrible."

Given any other day she would've let him have a piece of her mind, but today wasn't just any day, so she settled for a "Mm." before trying to roll away from him, although to no avail.

Obviously not getting the point that she needed rest, he continued cluelessly, "Do you remember what happened?" She felt the gentle brush of the magazine settle on her foot but made no movement to move it away.

She "Mm"ed again, vaguely recalling the pain, fear and coldness of her drowning ordeal, but her fatigue did not allow her to dwell on the matter much.. but the pain, the coldness and the fear was already embedded into her.

"You've been in and out of it for three days." He stated simply, "Doctors said it's nothing much, you've just got a bit of a fever now… you're hot baby."

"Mm." Nausea… she was starting to feel nauseous. She desperately needed to sleep, to numb the ordeal. Her body was starting to feel unsettled, like every position she was in provided her no comfort, yet she was much too weak to move vigorously.

"Yep, probably feeling the effects of the drugs. Don't worry, the drowsiness will leave soon, then you can go back home."

Marvelous, she thought sarcastically, but settled for a limpy nod.

A few minutes ticked by in silence before the sanctuary was again disturbed, "You hungry Kag-" Perhaps he just needed to fill in the silence, or maybe he just needed to hear that she was alright, whatever it was, he didn't want to be lost in this eerie quietness.

"Kouga." She interrupted weakly, although sternly, "Quiet. Sleep."

"Oh yes yes," he whispered, as if it had only just occurred to him that she was tired, "rest is good."

He had mumbled the last part, trying to mask his rapidly increasing concern. She had almost drowned and was now suffering from a high fever.. but that was three days ago. He failed to inform her that doctors had initially believed that her fever should've started dying down yesterday… but on the contrary, her fever was progressively increasing. Kouga could only hope that she'd get out of this nightmare soon.

_**888**_

The ground shook from the intense music as the vibrations reverberated off every wall in the over-crowded club. Sweaty bodies grinded fervently against sweaty bodies as the effects of extreme alcohol consumption transported them to a reality that did not exist in the day. It had become a world of illusion, a beautiful illusion that was merely a fleeting moment.

The music pulsated through every being in the club and the mysterious smoky atmosphere only added to the already frenzied state. This was a place for the beautiful, the powerful, the important and the rich.. Sesshomaru made sure of that.

A huge roar, enough to further shake the club, erupted the very moment he made his appearance. He was once again where he belonged, in the spotlight amongst the beautiful and the artificial, "Inuyasha!!!"

His battered body and injured jaw managed a proud smirk as he stylishly made his grand entrance, lazily waving a hand to the frenzied crowd and hand shaking a few familiar people he passed.

"Inuyasha, you fucking slaughtered him man!" An enormously big man roared, followed by a massive response of drunken agreement.

"You fucking rock man!! WHOO!!" Another drunken screech, before the man collapsed from his alcohol induced state.

A rush of women made their way towards the hanyou, each hoping to gain his undivided attention, and each looking as though they had been deprived of clothing. Coincidence? Unlikely.

"Hey baby." A sultry voice purred against his ear. Simply exotic he admitted, possibly another Brazilian model he smiled mentally.

He turned his body towards her, ready for some congratulatory intimacy from the beautiful woman for his earlier victory in his fight, but was interrupted by a gently hand rubbing sensually against his back, "You were hot." The blonde winked, giving him very suggestive looks.

"Mmm." another one agreed, licking her red lips as she looked him up and down as if ready to pounce on him any moment.

"Well," he smirked his trademark smirk as he placed his arms around the first two girls' tiny waist, "I don't believe we've met," he implied suggestively before winking, "I'd love to be better aquatinted with you beautiful ladies."

The Brazilian model wrapped her slender arms around his abdomen, pushing her body against his side as she made sure he felt certain body parts of hers, before she started nibbling on his neck. He smirked, quickly coming to the conclusion that Brazilians were his favourite girls.

Without thinking at all, just acting on animalistic instincts, he turned towards her and crushed his lips against hers, pulling her body against his possessively. He closed his eyes, desperately begging for the intoxication to numb him like it once numbed him to the point of oblivion. She moaned passionately against him now fully prying him off the blonde. He continued drowning in his own desperation as he aggressively pushed himself at her, his agitation growing rapidly at the realization that he was not drowning in this sexual intoxication quick enough.

The scene was fast becoming more and more passionate, and had it not been for Miroku's vague "Ahem!" God knows where it would've led.

Pulling away instantly, somewhat startling the girl, Inuyasha stood in a daze.. confused as he simply looked on at the girl, trying to decipher what had transpired between them just seconds ago. It was like a trance. An unfeeling, emotionless and empty moment. Suddenly, he looked like a child, a child who was very lost in a world that was no longer his.

"Quarter finals.. nice." Miroku commented smoothly, although whether his 'nice' comment was referring to Inuyasha's ticket into the quarter finals or the scene before him, would be unknown to Inuyasha. Nevertheless, it acted as a wake up call.

Immediately, the hanyou recovered from the slip up of character as his façade came barging into place once again. His smirk returned, but the fear growing in him did not leave.

"Sesshomaru really has that creative designer bone doesn't he? Party's off the roof." He realized as he was saying that, Inuyasha had paid very little attention as he was whispering intimately into the Brazilian model's ear. He vaguely caught him saying something along the lines of 'a room' – and with that, Miroku could only sigh in envy. Someone was no doubt getting laid tonight.

The model giggled sexily before giving the hanyou a kiss to remember and walked away. Turning towards him, Miroku was surprised that Inuyasha had in fact actually listened, but his tone had turned serious and somewhat bored. Had he just pretended to act entertained by that model? "It's called good marketing. Another excuse to flaunt his fashion line.. bastard, reaping in _my _glory." He mumbled sulkily and started picking at the cuts on his arm. "Scabs.. gross."

"Inuyasha, he's your sponsor. It's his job…."

"You don't say. Hey! Eyes over here!" Inuyasha called as he noticed Miroku's line of vision was progressively following a very busty woman.

Sighing dramatically as he turned his head back towards the glaring Inuyasha, he mumbled, "I'd really rather not." Gods, was he ever gonna get some women in his life?

"Are you saying I'm ugly?" Inuyasha asked, not sure why he felt like arguing with the man, but it _did_ turn a few heads.

"No…" he sulked in reply, "I'm just not into men." A few people around them gasped openly, possibly mistaking the scene before them as an argument between two gay lovers who just so happen to be Inuyasha and Miroku.

"You never change Miroku." He crossed his arms, "I don't know what to do with you anymore." Inuyasha was simply referring to his friend's perverseness, but the larger crowd around them, in which they unfortunately failed to acknowledge, had every reason to believe that they were in fact lovers.

"It never bothered you before." Miroku replied nonchalantly with a shrug, resulting in a collected gasp from the crowd – in which they interpreted as his callousness towards Inuyasha.

"I thought I could look past it Miroku! But things change, people change! I just don't know if it'll work anymore."

"What's the big deal? I thought you were use to it." A few people from the crowd were starting to shake their heads.

"Have you ever thought about how it'll affect me?! God you're my.." But Inuyasha simply shook his head in frustration. In Lamen's terms, Inuyasha really only meant how it would affect his _image_, and the 'God you're my '_manager_'' would've been the word the hanyou would've used.

But the translation to the crowd went something along the lines of this:

_Inuyasha: _Could you look at me for once when you're talking?"

_Miroku: _I look at you all the time, looking at someone else once or twice won't hurt.

_Inuyasha: _Are you saying you don't find me attractive anymore?

_Miroku: _I just don't know anymore okay?

_Inuyasha: _You never change Miroku, what more do I need to do for you to make you happy?

_Miroku: _Why are you making such a beg deal out of this?

_Inuyasha: _Because Miroku! I care! I thought that if I told myself you'd change.. for me.. it'd be okay, but you haven't changed.. I.. I don't know where our relationship is going anymore.

_Miroku: _You're blowing it out of proportion. I'm the way I am, so just live with it.

_Inuyasha: What about me Miroku? Do you care how I feel? God you're my boyfriend! _

From amongst the large crowd, an anonymous deep voice cried out, "I'll show you how a _real_ man can take care of you big boy! Dump the fool and come with me." A loud cheer followed, but the two men merely stood there confused.

"What's that all about?" Miroku scratched the back of his neck, wondering why so many people were glaring at him.

"Keh! Probably a fight over some gay guy.. Sesshomaru maybe? How would I know?" With that, Inuyasha turned and walked away with a nervous Miroku following suite. Seriously, what had he done to deserve all those glares from the people?!

_**888**_

"Can I get some help in here?!!" Kouga cried out angrily, holding onto the hunched over raven-haired girl.

"GODDAMN IT! NURSES!!" He called again, growing desperate.

Immediately two nurses following by a concerned doctor came rushing into the room. Kouga was quickly pushed to the side as the two nurses held onto Kagome who was violently throwing up onto the Hospital floor.

"What's wrong with her? You said she should start recovering within two days! It's been three and she's getting worse!!" Kouga growled, glaring accusingly at the doctor who had approached Kagome and had immediately starting observing her.

Kagome sorely choked out the rest of what she had inside before quickly losing consciousness. She collapsed heavily onto the nurses as they gently albeit hurriedly laid her back down. A surge of panic suddenly rose in Kouga, but he masked it by simply clenching his fists as he forced himself to not run to the lifeless girl.

Kouga stared worriedly at the frail girl who now looked as gaunt as ever in as little as three days. He didn't even want to think of what she was vomiting for she had yet to muster some strength to actually eat.

_**888**_

"Oh for the sake of everything holy, did you see that Sesshomaru? Did you? Because I did, along with how many hundreds of other people still sober. He's wearing _our _clothes! It's ruining the image!" She closed her eyes in frustration as she rubbed her temples.

"Mm." Sesshomaru's eyes lazily flicked towards the directions to the scene Kagura was referring to from their VIP box upstairs. "Quite disgraceful-" He murmured as he continued to play with the glass of champagne in his hand.

"Exactly," She dramatically placed her hands on her hips and pointed on the window panel towards Inuyasha, "Does he have no idea that he represents our clothing line, that everything he does would consequently directly affect our company?!"

"-personally I would've gone for the second girl, although she _is_ a blonde, and I'm really not too fond of blondes, but she has a pretty face… I suppose.." He may have been the CEO of the company but with the stress levels Kagura averaged on a daily basis, she was really doing his share for him.

"You really don't care for this company do you?" She glared, finally turning to look at the monotonous man, comfortably seated on the leather couch, "This Company could burn in hell and you still wouldn't take your eyes off that drink in your hands."

"That's not true," He replied easily, making a point to look at her, "I'm looking at you right now, as agonizing as it may be, aren't I?"

She shook her heard disbelievingly, "If you didn't pay my salaries, I'd murder you right now and blame it on those damn strippers who refuse to leave us alone GET OUT OF THIS ROOM BEFORE I CALL SECURITY! THIS IS FOR VIP ONLY!" Quickly enough, the scantily dressed girl leaning against Sesshomaru got up and sauntered out of the room, on the way pass Kagura, flicking her hair.

"Charming." Sesshomaru spoke.

Giving up as she realized Inuyasha was making his way out of her sight, she moved away from the glass window and sat on the leather couch, not before downing a shot of straight vodka in the hopes to calm her nerves. A few of the other people in the same VIP box gave Kagura constant looks, but she simply ignored them. She was after all a very attractive woman who knew exactly how to present herself. Tonight she was in a black Gucci dress – a true classy beauty.

A few minutes of silence ticked by before Kagura decided to attempt at having a civilized conversation with her boss that would not revolve around business for once, "How's Rin?" she tried awkwardly.

"Still unconvinced that Dr. Zeus looks like you, otherwise she's good."

Her fists clenched momentarily before she silently chanted to herself to just be patient and ignore him.

"So who have you got babysitting her tonight?... or have you just left her at home with those maids you believe are plotting against you?"

"I own an entire company, I'd be a bit smarter than that." He replied sarcastically, well as sarcastically as his monotonous voice can get.

"That's good to hea-"

"She's upstairs in one of the VIP rooms for 'female dancers' – in fact that girl before was actually on her break from babysitting Rin."

Kagura could only stare. This man… was insane.

_**888**_

"Inuyasha," Miroku mumbled subtly, his eyes shifting from one side to another, "One o'clock."

"What?"

"One o'clock, my one o'clock – leggy brunette in black dress eyeing shamelessly in our direction."

Inuyasha gave a vague nod, his eyes glazed over in boredom, as he continued fiddling with the little umbrella in someone's cocktail.

"My- My god! She just slipped her right sleeve off! Inuyasha look!" Miroku nudged him hard in the ribs, completely missing the death glare sent his way from the hanyou, but nonetheless, Inuyasha complied.

He looked up as quickly as he looked down, his eyes still half lidded as he found trying to spin the umbrella upside down on top of the liquid substance more entertaining than getting a free strip tease. Miroku had proceeded to bite his fist, squirming stupidly next to the motionless hanyou. Inuyasha hardly acknowledged him, but the squirming was getting embarrassing. "Please stop." He demanded none too kindly, though Miroku knew not to really care.

"Ohh, but I'm so lonely." He whined childishly, hands clamped over his head.

"Right." Now he had advanced to continually dunking the paper umbrella into the alcohol.

"Great, just what we needed.." Miroku mumbled, suddenly somber.

He knew better than to ask since the only thing he really wanted then was for Miroku to shut up, but he pursued anyways, "What's the matter with you?"

"That was an exceptional show you put on for us Inuyasha." God his voice was smug, "Quarter finals.. good.. good." Naraku sat down, signaling for a drink with a brief wave of his hand.

Inuyasha didn't even look up, in fact, Miroku wasn't even sure if he knew Naraku was of such close proximity to them, but he spoke, still just as bored, "Yes, quarter finals… joy." They all missed him rolling his eyes.

"Feeling must be gold."

"Ecstatic."

Naraku shook his head, laughing darkly as he chose to ignore the hanyou's arrogance and ignorance, "Payment's been transferred to your account- enjoy it while you can.." whatever that meant.

"Right…. Okay then!" He stood up abruptly, suddenly seeming energized, "Love to stay, but can't – duty calls." Before waiting for a reply from any of the men, Inuyasha weaved his way through the heavy crowd, not quite caring who he pushed along the way.

Naraku raised a sharp eyebrow, "What's so important that he has to leave his own victory party?"

Again, Miroku clamped his hands over his head, which was now lying hopelessly on the table in front of him, "He's getting laid…again!" referring to the little moment between Inuyasha and the Brazilian model.

_**888**_

With each step he took that brought him closer to his desired destination, the thought of weaseling out and turning right around and heading back to the club and getting pissed drunk was rapidly becoming more and more appealing. The place was empty, which shook him a bit because of the sudden change of atmosphere. His footsteps echoed eerily in the hallway and whilst his brain was telling him to just turn around and get on with his old life, something much stronger propelled him to continue walking towards a certain room.

Truly, it was a miracle that he was able to win this round after three straight nights of hardly sleeping. His head fell forward, looking extremely disheartened. Tonight was so important to him, he had waited for it for three days.. no not because of the fight. He had held so much hope in the victory party Sesshomaru threw (out of obligation as his sponsor) for him. It was suppose to be the turning point in his life, the turning point that would revert him back to his old self – his old self where he could just not give a shit about anything but him.

It was suppose to make him realize how much he loved the partying scene, where hook ups and one night stands were the norm, where the attention he received would be enough to get him through life.. yet when that model pressed herself against him, and when he so desperately forced himself to enjoy kissing her, he felt hollow, almost guilty. He closed his eyes in frustration, silently berating himself and also fiercely questioning himself why he had grown a damn conscience. As if he needed that.

He winced as he didn't even want to think about the three nights he stayed wide awake and unable to get her pale faced image out of his head. For three days, a constant dull ache in his chest prevented him from wiping that image from his system for even a split second. Even when he was kissing the model, the only thing he was aware of was the growing desire to be near the 19-year old, to just know that she was going to be okay. He realized tonight, that he no longer belonged in the limelight… he felt lost.

His body stopped on its own accord as he physically knew he had finally arrived, although he was unable to mentally register the fact. He wanted so badly to see her, yet at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to be so drunk he wouldn't be able to feel anymore. Subconsciously taking a deep breath, he quietly pushed the door open.

He knew immediately that his decision to come here was right once he caught her tiredly peeking at him from under the thin white covers. She was curled tightly into a ball, her hair was limp and lifeless, and her skin was clammy and pale – but at this point, he couldn't remember seeing her this… beautiful? For a moment, all air was sucked from him.. and his gorgeous Suku suit.

He stood there for a while, both silent, unmoving and only staring. The ticking of the clock was amplified ten times and slowly it was crawling under Inuyasha's skin, "Hello." He waved awkwardly, somewhat avoiding her doll-like gaze.

"Hello." She rasped out weakly. Inuyasha had to refrain from wincing at how frail she sounded. He felt an urge to help her, even protect her from those blood-sucking fevers. Bastards.

He felt like fidgeting on the spot, but instead he chose to remain collected in his black pin-striped suit as he stuffed his hands in his pant pockets, "How are you feeling?" He almost hit himself for sounding so generic and corny all at once. Suddenly the word 'moron' popped into his head.

"Ugly." She coughed.

_'You're not.. you're really not.' _He thought immediately. "Like usual." He shrugged.

She simply stared back with emotionless innocent eyes. It looked like she was trying to decipher something. For a moment, she even looked confused. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she asked quietly and politely, "I'm sorry…but, do I know you from somewhere?"

Given any other situation, his heart would've dropped. She had forgotten him and it should've killed him, but it didn't. Instead, he pulled out a chair right in front of her, a smug smile on his face, "Pretty generic coming from you.. I would've been more convinced had you acted as if you were terrified of me."

Even in her weakened state, she was able to click her fingers, managing a quiet and disappointed, "Dammit! Foiled!"

At that, he couldn't help but smile. Words couldn't describe the relief that washed through him and the admiration for the girl lying half dead in front of him. She truly was one hell of a girl.

As weak as she was, she still managed to keep her quirkiness, "Really, what gave me away?"

"They're called doctors."

"Ahhh." Her lids looked like they were about to give up on her any moment as she struggled to stay awake. Inuyasha instantly felt guilty as realization dawned on him and he quickly got up, remembering that rest was vital for her at that moment, "You should rest-"

"I'm fine," She quickly changed the topic, hoping he would sit back down, "Geez you look awful." She eyed his battered face, although really, it wasn't that bad, but she needed something to distract him from leaving.

Slowly he sat back down. Really he didn't need that much convincing. He knew it was selfish of him, but for the first time, he actually felt like he wanted something and that something was currently in the same room as he was. Maybe he would watch her sleep – anything to stay. "You're one to speak."

Completely ignoring his insult, since she had long grown use to it, she tugged at the blanket, "Finally got what you deserve hey? The Gods love me." She smiled, looking genuinely convinced and happy that he was hurt because of karma.

"Keh! Who's ever gonna love you?" Oh, was that a little too harsh? Quickly he looked up to see her reaction; worried that maybe he had offended her.

"Jealous much?" She smiled smugly, well as smugly as someone in her state could muster. "In a few years I'm going to be married to a billionaire, living in a mansion with eight kids, two dogs and still be pregnant with my ninth kid."

Inuyasha went quiet for a bit, "Really?"

"Yes, if my mother follows through with her threat of arranging my marriage." She shrugged nonchalantly, missing the relieved look on a certain hanyou's face.

"You're weird."

"And you're hurt. What happened to your face? And can you get me some lemon tea? I'm really thirsty."

"Do I look like a nurse to you?" He asked rhetorically. She opened one eye and was about to reach out to touch his face to observe him, but he gently swatted her hand away from him. "In your dreams wench!"

"Finnne. So what happened to your face?"

He shrugged indifferently as he rose from his seat, "It's called life."

"Riiiiight… and what are you doing?"

"Getting you your damn lemon tea, you're throaty voice is hurting my ears."

"Oh good!" She rasped out, "On your way, grab a magazine for me will ya? Gets lonely here."

"No." He said flatly, already making his way out of the room.

"A chocolate bar?" She tried.

But he had slammed the door, making a point that lemon tea was all she was getting.

_**888**_

After a good twenty minutes, give or take, he returned with the goods. Who knew he had to run four flights of stairs just to get some damn chocolate around here. Not to mention the five different magazines he bought was a pain holding onto with their slippery covers. Oh and the lemon tea, don't even start with the lemon tea…. Well nothing was really wrong with the lemon tea, but had it not been for the lemon tea, he wouldn't have had to run the four flights of stairs, dodged two obsessed nurses who kept trying to touch his ears, avoided a kid who kept following him with those scary big eyes and then trip over some old schizophrenic man's walking stick.

She was going to get an earful.

His mouth was prepared to fire all sorts of complaints and insults the moment he walked through the door, but what he saw shook him to his core…

The room was a complete mess..

And Kagome was not there.

**_888_**

**An:** Yes I agree with everyone, cliffhangers suck!

Thank you for all the support everyone! makes kissy noises

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha etc etc etc**_

**Doll Secret**


	12. Her Prince Charming

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Her Prince Charming**

_**888**_

Fresh flowers were scattered messily amid puddles of water, the white bed sheets were roughly torn at random edges and sharp shards of glass lay dangerously on the floor, almost waiting to tear some skin and puncture some flesh. His golden orbs, despite his panicked state, scanned the scene ahead of him, all contents in his hands fallen to the floor from the confusion. Acknowledging that there were no signs of forced entry, Inuyasha could confidently conclude that she was most likely still within the confines of the hospital. Yet this did little to calm his nerves.

Hardly thinking, he fell to his hands and knees – and whilst on a normal occasion, it would've looked comical, it did not at this moment – and quickly peeked under the bed, begging to find her giggling like a school-girl. But he found nothing but two inches worth of dust.

"Kagome!"

He cursed quietly when he did not hear a reply. Getting back on his feet, he turned towards the cupboards and violently threw the doors open, letting his aggravation and concern get the better of him.

"Dammit! This isn't funny! Stop playing around and quit hiding!" He slammed the cupboard doors closed, his face fierce in determination and worry. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contemplate his next move and at the same time, trying to filter the countless bombarding emotions. This was too frustratingly confusing – there were obviously no signs of forced entry, yet he could not understand why she was missing, and why the room had become such a mess.

His peripheral vision caught sight of a nonchalant nurse walking by the room and instantly he ran after her, and without any sign of warning, whipped her around as he held her firmly by the shoulders. "Where is Kagome?!" He all but yelled in her face.

She staggered back a bit and looked at Inuyasha with clueless eyes. Growling in agitation, he shook her gently, "Kagome, the girl in this room!"

She peeked over his shoulders, which took a great deal of effort since he was a good two heads taller than the petite nurse, and slowly his intense stare was able to see the realization dawning on her expression, "Ohh." she breathed.

It took nearly all of Inuyasha's willpower to not shake the living daylights out of her indifferent demeanor. How was she able to remain so calm? Couldn't she tell that this was urgent? "Kagome." She spoke to herself, before looking up at the fierce hanyou and asking, "Long black hair? A bit taller than me and bluish eyes?" She questioned.

Whilst he knew they were both talking about the same girl, it knocked him back a bit when he realized he had no idea what the color of her eyes were. Bluish.. really? His head fell ever so slightly, a bit crestfallen that he did not know, but he replied nonetheless, "Yeah.. her." Snapping his head up quickly again, the fire returning to his eyes, he demanded, "Yes her! Where is she?!"

She tapped the bottom of her chin gently and airily spoke, "I'm pretty sure I saw her on level three's food court – she looked hungry."

Inuyasha blinked, his face contorted into a mixture of confusion, relief but also anger. _What?_

_**888**_

He didn't quite believe it at first, mainly because he couldn't quite understand it, but as he cautiously approached the frail girl in the food court, he felt instantly that something was wrong. Without a doubt, Kagome was exactly where the nurse had directed him to, in the corner of the food court, table piled with food as she continually grabbed for more food before she even swallowed. Her hair was a mess, her body looked weak and little particles of food decorated her chin, cheeks and nose. All in all, a horrid image.

He slowly walked towards her before stopping directly in front of her oval table. He was about to demand from her _"What the hell are you trying to pull?!" _but instantly ceased to speak.. and nearly ceased to breath the moment she looked up at him with doll-like eyes. He cursed himself for letting his guard down. How had he not detected the strong stench of salt. He was speechless, looking in her red-rimmed eyes, puffy and watery as her little nose and cheeks glowed a soft pink…. And yet she played it down – as if he was blind to her distress.

Her voice was thick with emotions, even nasal when she spoke - whilst still eating, "The food is quite good believe it or not."

He couldn't understand it. Clearly she looked upset, but the way she spoke begged to differ. He remained silent, only intensely regarding her as he, without even knowing, tried to break down that façade that tainted her normally 'real' personality.

She merely shrugged off-handedly, once again turning back to her food, "Well I like it." Did she really think she could fool him? For God's sake! Her eyes still glowed from what he could only assume to be tears from before. Why was she acting this way? It scared him a bit, completely unused to this new side of Kagome.

He knew girls strived to get his attention through the over-dramatic tears, and he would remember absolutely despising it, not only because it was annoying but also because it was just so artificial. And now, ironically, this young girl sitting in front of him was doing the exact opposite… trying to mask whatever it was from him…and he despised this even more, because for the first time, he felt completely useless, and for some reason, it scared him to see her like this, and scared that maybe her stupid, albeit innocent, smile was gone for good.

"You should stop eating." He spoke, and as an after-thought, he tried, "You can do without a few pounds."

All he was trying to do was spark some kind of fire in her, but he immediately regretted those words the moment Kagome choked on her food, her head bowing in what looked like shame. They both fell quiet, Inuyasha standing stiff as ice as he waited desperately for her kind words to forgive him because he would not be able to handle it if she was mad at him. Not Kagome. But those words never came, instead a weak voice simply mumbled amidst the dark mob of hair covering her face, "I don't feel well."

Though her words did not mention anything about forgiving, Inuyasha realized that there was nothing to forgive, because that was just Kagome, always understanding him in a quirky kind of way. Even though he didn't exactly directly cause her to fall off the pier, it was his stupidity that drove her to end up in this condition, and still she said nothing, silently forgiving him, and Inuyasha didn't know whether he hated himself more or was more grateful for her existence in his life.

He sighed, almost out of habit rubbing it in her face that obviously eating a great deal after not eating at all would be upsetting for her body. But for the first time, he used his brain before he spoke to her. "Come on." He said gently, but authoritatively, almost like a father speaking to his daughter.

He walked around the oval table, her head still bowed and her body still curled as he reached for her hand. Holding it firmly, he gently pulled her into a standing position, "Let's go."

Finally it happened, she looked up at him with what looked like hope in her eyes as she held onto his hand as if her life depended on it, "Back home?"

He paused, only staring back at her – seeing the old Kagome trying to break through this fragile Kagome impersonator. He knew the moment she looked at him with a voice of so much hope, he would do anything to make sure the hope didn't leave her eyes – and that meant, getting her home by midday at the latest. "Yeah, home."

But one question lingered in the back of his mind, why was the room so messed?

_**888**_

"Papa Sesshy!" Rin's cheerful voice rang through the halls as she bounced energetically into Sesshomaru's study room. "Papa Sesshy!"

He vaguely glanced up at the small child holding the white fluffly dog by its ears before diverting his attention back to the computer screen, "Yes Rin?" he asked, typing away on his keyboard whilst once in a while stopping to analyze the documents sprawled messily in front of him.

She drew circles on the fine carpeted floor with her right foot as she smiled up at her papa, "Good morning."

He paused for a bit, looking down at her before gently greeting her.

She giggled, for reasons beyond Sesshomaru, but he was use to it, after all, everything he did always seemed comical to Rin. "Papa looks busy and the ugly man keeps calling… Unkie Inu's in trouble." She finished with a sing-song voice.

He stopped typing, "Rin, isn't there something very important you have to do for me?" he asked, hoping to distract her and have her leave him in peace.

She thought for a while before nodding vigorously, "Oh yes, I remember!"

"Then aren't you suppose to be working on it now?"

"Yes! But Rin wanted to ask papa something." He quietly waited, "What does 'neurasthenia' mean papa?"

His expression remained the same when he replied, "It is an anxiety neurosis in which extreme fatigue is the chief symptom."

"Polymerization?"

"The process of linking a substance called a polymer with a much higher relative molecular mass."

"If-"

"A conjuction used to express a condition, ask an indirect question or used instead of 'when'. Why?"

She shrugged, "TV."

Sesshomaru wondered kind of shows the girl was watching but kindly decided to save himself the stories.

"Anyways papa, if Rin doesn't find the traitorous maid-"

"Maids." He corrected.

"-will papa be mad?"

He had started typing again and did not look at Rin when he replied indifferently, "No, but in case you do, remember to poison their drinks and report back to headquarters.. me."

She stayed quiet for a while, pondering on the words Sesshomaru had just said to her before remembering why she had come in the first place.

"Papa!" She called excitedly, "I need to show you something!"

He nodded, barely looking at the girl.

"It's a dance! The ladies from last night taught me!"

The oceans parted as the little animals hid. The great Sesshomaru had finally met his match.. in the form of his adopted daughter. Good God was she trying to shake her non-existent- "Rin! Stop!!"

_**888**_

Her body shook violently as she vomited the remnants of what she had eaten a few hours ago. He held her hair back as he watched her face contort into a mixture of pain and fatigue and pulled a few fallen strands from her face. It was midday, and like he had silently promised, she was in the safety of his apartment, after having realized that her heating system was turned off.

Now he kind of regretted taking her back home, against the doctors pleas, as he began to comprehend the ordeal she was going through. He had no idea what to make of it, and most importantly, he wasn't sure if he could take on the responsibility of taking care of her. Slowly, though viciously, she coughed up the last of her meal before falling slack onto Inuyasha, who was ready to catch her from his kneeling position from behind her.

"Done?" he tried asking light-heartedly, handing her a cup of water to rinse her mouth.

She nodded lazily against his chest, and at her signal, he easily scooped her up bridal style and carried her out the bathroom and into the living room where her makeshift sofa-bed was made. Gently, he placed her down, making sure his claws didn't scratch her, as he wrapped her up with a thin blanket and switched the TV on to the soapies channel in which she had tiredly insisted to sleep outside just to cater to her addiction.

"Mmm." She groaned, instantly making Inuyasha think that she was in some kind of pain. He squatted towards her, turning the volume down before asking quickly… a little too quickly, "What's wrong?"

She made a face and clicked her tongue, "I've seen this episode." She whined.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and breathed a soft sigh of relief, "Keep complaining and I'll switch to the discovery channel."

"And have the possibility of seeing _more _dogs, spare me." She feigned anxiety.

"HEY!" he called out half-heartedly, dropping the remote control onto the floor as he moved towards Kagome and sat on the edge of the pull-out sofa-bed.

She looked at him suspiciously from beneath the covers before deciding to wiggle away in her cocoon, "You're not thinking of taking advantage of me are you?"

He raised an eyebrow, taking his shoes and socks off as he made himself comfortable on the bed, and replied monotonously, "Yes, I'm going to have my way with you and ravish you the way I've always secretly dreamed of doing."

She regarded him skeptically and blinked, "You're weird."

"And you're delusional."

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, Kagome uneasily drifting in and out of sleep as Inuyasha kept a watchful eye over her.. although he made sure to seem thoroughly interested in the soap opera painfully showing before him.

Suddenly, a frenzy of coughs interrupted the silence, her little body trembling from the intensity. Her eyes squinted open, momentarily catching his worried look and stiff stance leaning towards her, "It's okay, I'm just coughing."

He immediately whipped his head back to the direction of the TV and leaned back carelessly onto the back of the sofa. He was slightly angry with himself for being caught. It was bad enough when he caught himself revealing emotions he didn't want to feel, but to have _her _witness him revealing these unwanted emotions was simply death, "Keh! You don't say."

"I'm just saying." She tried to justify, not noticing the stupidity of her words, especially after what he had just said.

He raised his elbow onto the edge of the sofa-bed as he leaned against his hand, "Want to keep stating the obvious? Are you gonna start telling me that you're a girl – although whether I believe that or not is entirely up to me." He teased.

"Mm.. I've got a headache."

"Ey! Are you listening to me?!" He pouted like a little boy.

"Yes, please get me some painkillers."

"Do I look like your butler?"

She took a look at him and answered, "Well-"

"DON'T answer that!" He declared, hopping off the bed and sluggishly made his way into the kitchen.

He grabbed a few painkillers, just to save him the trip later on, and carelessly slammed his cupboard doors close. Upon reaching the lounge again, his head fell backwards in annoyance as he realized he forgot to get her some water. Water, what a pansy. He threw the packet of tablets onto the bed before grudgingly making his long trek back to the kitchen.

"I hope you know I'm charging you for the tablets." He mumbled to himself, and as an afterthought added quietly as he filled a cup with water, "Not to mention accommodation and labor."

"Inuyashaaa." She drawled out.

He rolled his eyes and quickly turned off the tap, "Alright, I'm coming!" He called back impatiently. _Women. _

"Here's your wat- Where have the tablets gone?!!" His face paled and his eyes were wide and large as saucers, absolutely fearing her answer.

"I took them." She giggled a little deliriously.

He cringed and rubbed his temples, "How many did you take?" He groaned.

"Umm." She thought as she pointed a finger to her chin, "All of it?"

_Good God. _"Right. Well if you die, it's your own fault." Luckily he had only given her four weakish tablets, so if worse came to worse, she would only be a bit high… although maybe death for him might be the better alternative.

"Die? Who's going to die?" she asked, watching him walk towards the sofa-bed and once again making himself comfortable next to her. "Are _you_ going to die?" she asked, her chin wobbling a bit.

"Hopefully." He replied dully, subtly flicking the channel to the sports channel, hoping she wouldn't realize.

"Oh." She whispered, "I'll miss your ears."

Yep, he could see the drugs kicking in. Boy was he going to cop it… although maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. She was quite cute like this.

Before he knew what was happening, she practically leaned over him, her chest in front of his face, instantly diverting his attention from the TV to her boo- "Bye bye ears! I'm going to miss you." She quickly pecked them before patting them.

He froze, gripping the sheets underneath him as he begged to anything for her to move away; otherwise he would not be held accountable for his actions. A low sigh escaped him once she went back to her side of the bed. Now he _really_ needed her to just sleep.

"They won't be going anywhere." He replied rigidly, "So uh.. just go to sleep." Now it was his turn to pat her head, although extremely awkwardly. In addition to that, he decided to cover her eyes with his hand, hoping that the momentary darkness would fool her into thinking it was night. He desperately needed her to stop staring up at him with those bright eyes… it was already getting 'uncomfortable' as it was, not to mention, extremely hot.

She stopped moving for a bit, her breathing evening out as he gradually moved his hand away.

"Boo!" She giggled insanely which resulted in him rolling his eyes in agitation.

"Just go to sleep!"

"And your hair." She smiled dreamily as crawled out of her sheets towards him. He tried his hardest to remain calm and unfazed, but the heat around him was making the task at hand much too difficult. His claws raked against the sofa-bed whilst he tried to calm his thundering heartbeat. Her natural scent had suddenly become overwhelmingly comforting to his senses, in which he could feel was progressively numbing, and gradually he could feel his self-control slipping through his fingers.

"Kagome-" He tried to warn. God, why was he feeling all these emotions? It was too damn confusing. Why was he suddenly seeing Kagome as a woman instead of a girl now? Why was he starting to notice every detail of her body and her figure? And how exactly had she managed to imprint her face into his mind.

"Your hair is so pretty." She stroked his hair, "Just like a girl's." She smiled unknowingly…. before moving her hands up to his scalp… and unintentionally massaged it.

His amber orbs rolled back, closing his eyes, whilst simultaneously sucking in a deep breath. His body felt relaxed and rigid all at once, and all he could feel at that moment were her small and soft hands massaging his scalp, bordering dangerously close to his sensitive ears. Still, he felt some sort of self-control, in which he dearly held on to as he feared his own actions once he lost it.

"Kagome-" He breathed out, once again trying to cease her actions. "Stop." He tried saying firmly.

_**888**_

_Coughing. He was coughing again, only this time, he wouldn't stop. He made countless attempts to suppress the noise, but he could not tamper with what fate had cruelly arranged for him._

_Her small whimper went by unnoticed as she stayed hidden in the closet, only watching the scene unfold through the thin slit of the door. Her young mind couldn't comprehend the seriousness of the situation, but even she knew something was wrong._

_She held a younger Souta close to her, and even he was awoken from the incessant coughing. Hearing the heart wrenching sobs of their mother as she cradled the man's head and whispered sweet nothings, Souta almost started howling with tears, but Kagome instantly shushed him as she placed a stubby finger to her lips and motioned for him to stay quiet in their hiding place. _

_A fearful gasp escaped her lips before she impulsively shielded Souta's eyes from the scene. Blood. _

_"Papa.." She whimpered helplessly._

_He was coughing up blood now, but his brave handsome face remained put, chuckling light-heartedly to make easy of the situation. Mrs. Higurashi cradled his head tighter as she choked on her harsh sobs, and just like her beloved husband, she tried to keep her hopeful façade up, although she knew better than to hope. She smiled beautifully at her husband, whispering her faith and loyalty to him. He only nodded and smiled in return, so much trust and love in his eyes._

_Her stubby hand reached out, wanting so much to touch her kind and handsome papa's face, but instantly retracted her hand as though it burned her. She cried softly to herself, very confused. Weren't bad things only supposed to happen to bad people? How in every fairytale and Saturday morning cartoons, the villain would be punished and the prince charming would have a happily ever after. So why was the prince charming in her fairytale the one being punished? Where was his happily ever after?_

_"Remember, you promised to take Kagome to the park tomorrow." Her voice shook so much, feeling the sharp edge of the dagger twisting in her heart._

_He chucked deeply, Gods, even his voice was handsome, "Of course. Wouldn't want princess pouting." Princess, that was what he called his baby._

_She laughed, and though it was pained, it was very genuine, "Never." Slowly, she slipped into the covers, holding him dearly as she refused to let him go.. physically, emotionally or spiritually. "I'll never let go… never."_

_In a couple of hours, the sun rose and everything to the naked eye seemed normal. But that shining bright light in the eyes of a certain little girl died out._

_She did not go to the park that day._

_The promise had been broken._

_**888**_

Nothing registered anymore, only her innocent eyes staring at his hair and those lips.. those lips that begged to be kissed overwhelmed his senses. Her mouth was moving relentlessly, most probably asking him pointless questions, but he failed to acknowledge any sounds around him, much too captivated by their close proximity.

"Do you use eggs to wash your hair? Is that why it's so soft…"

She continued to speak, but he merely stared at her. His heartbeat was impossibly speeding up as his breathing became shallow. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?

In all seriousness, she paled considerably compared to almost every one of his flings, girlfriends, whatever you wanted to call them. Her body couldn't even compare, her face was average looking, not to mention she didn't exactly know how to dress. Yet he could not think of anyone more beautiful than she was at that moment. He could not recall ever having so many emotions stir within him, and feeling so powerless towards anyone.

"..and plus I don't always brush my hair.."

He did nothing as he realized the last of his self-control was seeping away quickly, because he couldn't anymore. Just before the last thread of his restraint snapped, one last thing registered in his hazy mind. Her eyes glowed a tint of soft blue amongst the deep pools of black bottomless pits.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, firmly and steadily flipping her onto her back. His hands remained securely wrapped around her delicate shoulders, his legs now straddling either side of her hip, although none of his weight rested upon her fragile form. His hair fell wildly around his face as he stared intensely at the clueless girl beneath him.

"Kagome.." He breathed heavily, "You should've stopped."

His hands slid to her soft dainty neck and jaw line, and without another word, he crushed his lips against hers.

_**888**_

**An: **oOoOooohhhh a kiss! Quick huh.. it only took me 12 chapters.

Thank you all for the reviews!

_**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue**_

**Doll Secret**


	13. Maybe it's black hair dye

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Maybe it's black hair dye?**

_**888**_

The cold water pelted relentlessly against his tense back as his right fist clenched rigidly against his tiled walls. His head was bowed low with many sensations still coursing through his body. Emotions continued to run vividly in his mind, and he was grudgingly sure that they were there to stay.

The cold water was supposed to clear his mind and calm his nerves, but it was failing miserably. If anything, the cold only acted as some sort of punishment to his skin as memories of what had just happened still burned freshly in his mind. It was weird how he wanted nothing more than to forget, yet simultaneously wanting more than anything to cling to the feelings ignited within him.

He closed his eyes, either to wipe his mind free from the girl sleeping peacefully in his lounge room, or to revel in the sensation of her body beneath his.

_Placing his hands securely on both sides of her neck, he crushed his lips against hers and instantly a surge of excitement and pleasure ran rampantly through his body. Pleasurable jolts tingled everywhere as he felt himself drowning deeper and deeper into her. Her lips were so warm and soft that he could feel his sanity numbing. Desperate to be even closer to her, he ran his tongue against her lower lip whilst simultaneously and subconsciously grinding his hips against hers._

_She was immobile for a while, the drugs blurring her awareness as she lay there watching his passionate expression. He begged for entry, and as his hands slid down to her hips, she gasped a little bit, immediately letting him plunge his tongue into her mouth. He took this opportunity to explore every inch of her mouth, and slowly, he felt her reacting to him. Her tongue moved in rhythm with his before both fought to dominate the kiss. _

_Her hands slid up his chest before resting upon his broad, hard shoulders. A little moan of pleasure escaped her and without her even realizing, she arched her small body into his, encouraging him to further grind against her. _

_He couldn't think anymore, he couldn't even breath anymore. His self-control was beyond lost as the pleasure and excitement spiraled out of control. He began kissing fervently along her jaw line, his hot tongue trailing against the frame of her chin. He reached her neck and began sucking gently against the sensitive flesh, igniting a more audible moan from the girl beneath him. _

_His mind was in a state of ecstasy as he reclaimed her mouth, moaning loudly into her. His hips continued to ground into hers and his hands began exploring her body on its own accord. He wanted nothing more than to just go all the way, to just take her there and have her scream his name. He was in a frenzy now, his mind shouting at him to claim her as his. _

_And that was when it hit him. Instantly he pulled away from her, as if she had burned him. He stared at her and almost immediately regretted stopping. Her glazed eyes, rosy cheeks and swollen red lips begged him to finish off what he had started. She whimpered a bit in protest at the loss of warmth, and it took nearly every ounce of his willpower to stop. Tearing away from her, he hurriedly made his way to the bathroom._

Never in his life had he ever felt the need to claim any of his female acquaintances during the most intimate of times. Yet what had transpired between them just a little while ago scared him to no end. He had never felt so possessive towards any woman and the urge to claim her was just too powerful. When had he suddenly felt that Kagome belonged to him?

He let the water run down his face, hoping that along the way, it would take away his mixed feelings. He was not that lucky, as the soothing sensation only served as a reminder of how at ease he felt around Kagome. He couldn't deny that Kagome had surely become a little shining star in his life… and for the first time, he welcomed it with open arms.

_**888**_

"Typical.. TYPICAL! It's just so typical of him to leave me, the fresh meat, amongst a jungle of lions!" Miroku ranted, pounding on the door.

"Oh you poor thing." A sarcastic voice replied, sounding, to the awakening Kagome, like Sango's voice.

The pounding continued incessantly, Miroku continuing to rage on as Kagome groaned softly in confusion and annoyance. Placing a hand against her forehead, her fever finally dying down, if not gone, she winced up at the door before scanning her surroundings. The loud knocking almost throbbed in the same rhythm as her headache and before she knew it, she slipped off the sofa-bed and slowly made her way towards the door.

"I saw it in their eyes, they wanted to eat me up alive! Especially that Kagura.." He shivered from the memory, "Inuyasha open this damn door!" He continued to punch the door before turning back to the nonchalant Sango and mimicked in a girly 'Kagura' voice, "He represents our company, as his manager, fix him! – Right, like anyone could fix _him_. I feel so taken advantage of."

"Maybe he's not home, can we go get something to eat first, it's nearly dinner and I'm starved."

"Oh Sango my beautiful, yet naïve-"

"Wha-"

"-lady, he is definitely home." His hands were securely placed in front of his family jewels, just in case Sango decided to convert to her 'Satan has possessed my body once again' moment.

Kagome stifled a giggle at the correct prediction. She made a move to open the door, just to stop the pounding, but a firm yet gentle hand suddenly came from behind and clasped over her mouth as another hand held onto the arm that had reached for the doorknob. Her eyes shifted to the left to find a wet-haired Inuyasha shaking his head in disapproval. Immediately her body felt that familiar tingling sensation coursing through her body, like it had in that 'vivid dream' she had before, and quickly, a blush made its way to her cheeks.

She nodded numbly, staring into his golden orbs. The dream had felt so real, it was incredible. She could still remember the way he held onto her like she was the most important thing to him. It really was too bad that it was only just a dream. Her heart dropped a little from the realization.

"Miroku.." Sango eyed him suspiciously, "I'm getting the feeling that there's more to this than you're letting on.."

He halted his actions and looked at her, "Um no?" He tried innocently.

"Oh your tone is just so reassuring." She rolled her eyes. "You can stay here if you want, I'm getting dinner."

His head darted from Sango to the door, back to Sango, before looking longingly at the door.. and like a kicked puppy, bowed his head and followed the triumphant Sango down the hallway.

"Can we at least have Chinese for dinner?"

The footsteps and voices were gradually dying out and once they were a distance away, Inuyasha turned around and casually walked to the kitchen, drying his hair with the towel draped over his shoulders. Kagome turned her body, but remained planted on the spot, staring rigidly at his back. She did a quick scan of his apartment and had a vague idea why she was here… but it only just registered that she was within such close proximity of Inuyasha.

He rummaged through his cupboards until he stumbled upon a cup of ramen. He looked behind his shoulders and asked, "Ramen?"

She shook her head 'no'. My, was it _extremely _awkward… especially with those thoughts of him on top of her running wildly across her mind.

She cursed silently, not aware of Inuyasha's super hearing, "Stop thinking about that dream."

He paused instantly, his hand grasping around his cup of ramen tighter than normal. A dream? He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. Whatever, maybe it was for the best anyways, so why did he have that screaming urge to tell her that it was NOT a dream? Although.. this could be quite fun.

"What dream?" He asked, putting the kettle on the stove and sneaking a glance at her to gauge her reaction.

"Huh?" She asked a little dumbfounded. Had he heard her? Acting thoughtful, she shook her head, "Just a dream, nothing special."

He would've been a little offended for her 'nothing special' comment, but judging from her stiff reaction, he knew better than to believe her.

"So.." She drawled out, trying to play it as casual as possible as she walked towards the kitchen, "want to give me a run through of what happened and how I ended up here?"

He leaned against the bench top looking at her and made a grab for an apple, "Your heating system along with everything else weren't working." He seemed much more interested in his apple and it occurred to Kagome that he was not going to elaborate.

"So about that dream," He peeked up at her cheekily, "if it's nothing special, then just tell me about it."

She couldn't help the mad blush but still managed a nonchalant shrug, "Hm, I don't remember it anymore."

He nodded, acting unconvinced as he turned to remove the screaming kettle from the stove, "Sureee, probably dreamt of my sexy body didn't you?" He teased, enjoying the guilty and stunned look on her features as she choked on her saliva.

"N-no!" She was so jumpy it was funny, "No!" She whipped around, hiding her tomato face.

Her whole body was red from embarrassment, and had it not been for that towel hitting her on the back, she would've looked for a hole and crawled into it to hibernate. The towel landed on the bench top as she looked up at Inuyasha questioningly.

"Bathroom's that way, you look horrible."

Without any further encouragement, she nodded and scuttled away with the towel. Anything to get away from the Hanyou who was now plaguing her every thought.

_**888**_

"Spill!" Sango demanded, pointing her fork threateningly at Miroku's nose.

He dropped his utensils, palms upwards in the air, "What?!" He knew from experience Sango was not a woman to mess with.

She squinted at him, lowering her fork as she chose to stab it in her stir-fry instead, "Why you've been so mopey all night – explain."

"I haven't been mopey." He sulked, eyes downcast as he played with his food half-heartedly.

"Pull the other finger."

He looked up, a small smile playing on his features, "Anything to touch your hand my dearest Sango."

She scooted away from him, giving him death glares and silently saying, 'you touch, you die.' "Well can you at least – hey! Don't drop your food on my carpet, I just had it cleaned! – as I was saying, can you at least stop the heavy sighing, you're so depressing."

He sighed, "I can't help it." Oops.

"Aha! See, something IS wrong! Stop being so melodramatic and either tell me or quit the act!"

He wasn't sure whether he was more scared of her demanding tone, or the knife she was unknowingly pointing at his jugular. He could only assume that aggression was her second nature.

Dropping his own fork, he crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward, placing his chin on top. Sango paused, at once realizing that the problem at hand was probably bigger than she had presumed. Feeling a little guilty for her bullying antics and a little sorry for his pathetic state, she offered a smile, "Mmm," she hummed thoughtfully, "How about I say something and you can either nod or shake your head, indicating whether I'm on the right track or not."

He pondered on this idea for a short while before very reluctantly agreeing, "Okay."

She finished the last of her rice and clasped her hands together, resting her chin atop and smiled pensively, "Inuyasha?" Duh! But it needed to be said – she had to start _somewhere_!

He hesitantly nodded, wondering if this was such a good idea.

"Okay. Has it got anything to do with the tournament?"

He nodded.

"Umm, you? Has it got anything to do with you?" She only asked this because he looked thoroughly concerned.

He paused, initially shaking his head a bit, before quickly correcting himself and nodded.

She wasn't exactly shocked, but it didn't sit well with her at the same time. Reaching for her orange juice, she took a sip and continued, "I'll bet Naraku has something to do with this." She said slightly bitterly.

He rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Sesshomaru?"

He puckered his lips thoughtfully before deciding 'no' as he shook his head.

"Interesting." Sango replied, stroking a nonexistent beard, "So let's re-cap. Inuyasha, tournament, you and Naraku, but no Sesshomaru."

Nod nod.

"Yep! I can't link them together creatively enough to compile a story. I'm stumped." She shrugged, pouring some more orange juice into both their cups.

He smiled dejectedly and leaned back in his chair, "No, you wouldn't." He said kindly.

"So does that mean you're going to tell me the story now?"

Sighing heavily, he nodded, "Part of it, yes. But I hope you won't hate me by the end of this."

_**888**_

The shower itself only lasted about fifteen minutes, but the procrastination period of Kagome hiding in the bathroom dragged on for a good twenty minutes. She knew she was avoiding the unavoidable, but it didn't make it anymore easier for her to step foot outside. Sucking in a deep breath and tucking her wet strands of hair behind her ear, she opened the door.

Her small wet feet padded unsurely towards the lounge room. Other than the TV, the apartment was eerily quiet. Maybe he had gone out. God knows he was never home once the sun sets. Relief filled her to know that she wouldn't have to face him and silently, she said a little thank-you to anyone watching her from above.

"Your head is in the way."

She nearly jumped out of her skin when his deep voice interrupted the peaceful quietness. She whipped around, stunned to see that he was in the process of making his fourth cup of ramen whilst watching the sports on cable. Her embarrassment and what had happened nearly an hour ago was long forgotten the moment her eyes fell upon him directly.

"I'm sorry," he said monotonously, "but I need you to do more than just turn around for me to see the TV."

Her mouth was agape, still speechless, as she pointed vaguely at his hair.

"Yes?" he asked a little irritably.

"Did… did you dye your hair?" she managed somewhat incoherently.

He gave her a weird questioning look, "Come again?"

"Your hair." She breathed out, unable to divert her eyes elsewhere. "Why is it black?"

He almost stopped breathing as his violet eyes widened in horror. Stalking towards the fridge, he frantically flipped through the calendar, angrily tearing at the pages before tearing the whole thing off altogether.

He slid against the fridge and buried his head in his hands in shame, groaning like a child. Why hadn't he noticed the gradual deterioration of his hanyou senses? But then again, he was always ten-folds more distracted when she was around. "Why me?" He whined, cursing his bad luck.

Finally snapping from her daze, she walked like a zombie towards Inuyasha and kneeled directly in front of him. Another realization dawned on her the instant she saw the lack of triangular ears. Quickly, she reached out to gently pat his head, "Your ears." She breathed out. It truly amazed her to see such a dramatic transformation. He looked different, yet the same all at once, in fact he took on another kind of 'handsome' now that his physical appearance had changed somewhat.

He leaned his head against the fridge, looking at Kagome through half-lidded eyes, waiting for her to either ridicule his weakness or pity his vulnerability… he waited.

But it did not come, instead, she merely asked, "What happened?" in an awe-like voice, as though some kind of miracle had just been performed before her. He searched her eyes for any traces of pity or disgust, and was prepared to defend himself, but he found nothing except curiosity. To say it puzzled him was an understatement.

He sighed, unable to look into her eyes any longer, fearing that he would be lost in them like he was not too long ago. His senses had dulled, but that didn't bother him nearly as much as the overload of emotions running rampant in him. Running his human hands through his jet-black hair, he grudgingly realized he had no other option but to tell her.

"I'm a hanyou – half demon and.." He paused slightly, "and half human."

He wished this was not real. No one was suppose to know his one night of weakness, yet here he was, sitting in front of a girl he hardly knew, bearing his vulnerability to her as though she could be trusted.

"Ohh." She breathed quietly as she nodded, trying to understand, "So kind of like nationalities. Like you being half demon is like me being half Japanese?"

He looked at her skeptically, "You're half Japanese?"

She shook her head, "Nope, I'm full Japanese."

He raised his right eyebrow, "Rightt.. moving on, as a hanyou, every once a month, I turn full human, and as a result, I lose all my demon powers."

"I see…" she said quietly, "And your time comes on any random Tuesdays." She stated knowingly.

"No." he said in a deadpan voice, "I turn human every new moon."

"Right, right." She said to herself, "So how long do you stay human?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, really disliking the topic, "Only for the night of the new moon. By sun break, I'm half-demon again."

She scrunched her face together, "I don't get it."

"Ugh!" He quickly stood up and retrieved his now soggy ramen and walked to the lounge room. That was it. He had explained himself and that was that. If she didn't understand, then that's her problem.

Flopping onto the couch, he tried his hardest to not reveal too many emotions. He always had a tendency to do that when he was human, that was why he hated it so much.. though at the same time, he knew he would never give up his human side, for it served as a reminder of one beautiful woman who loved him till her death.

"I don't get it," She repeated, following after him without fault, "You look unhappy, am I missing something?"

"Yes, everything! I'm a hanyou, what's there to look happy about?"

"Well for starters, you're kinda like Superman, only not as handsome, not as tall and not as muscular… oh and you can't fly."

He rolled his eyes, "The only thing you're right about is that I can't fly… keh I am so taller than Superman." He added sulkily, stuffing his nose into his ramen.

"Okay, so maybe you're not like Superman – but I still don't see why you're making it out to be a burden-"

"'Coz that's exactly what it is, a burden! Forget it, you won't I understand, and I don't want to explain." He placed his ramen down, losing his appetite and crossed his arms across his chest childishly.

She pouted and mimicked him as she folded her arms across her chest, choosing to look away from him and stare at the TV instead. "Well, as far I see it, you've been given a perfectly white piece of paper-"

He couldn't help but hang onto every single word she was saying as he interrupted her, eyebrows risen, and tone confused, "White piece of paper?"

She reiterated her point, "White piece of paper," she nodded, "so there you have it, perfect opportunity to make this piece of paper any way you want it. Fold it, draw on it, write on it – make it yours, make it beautiful… this white piece of paper represents all that you are, all that you want and most importantly, all that you have and will accept…"

She left the sentence hanging. He didn't know whether it was for a dramatic effect, or whether she just couldn't finish… but he needed to know.

"So you said I've been given a perfectly white piece of paper… what have _I_ done with it?" He really wanted to know what she thought, as though what she'd say would become law and therefore a fact.

She finally turned back to look at him, before shrugging, "I don't know.. what _have _you done with it?"

He wasn't sure he even really understood this whole concept of a white piece of paper, but what he did know was that she didn't see him being a hanyou as a problem… in fact, she almost saw it as a gift. Maybe she could be trusted.

He stayed quiet for a bit, choosing not to answer her, instead he diverted the limelight on her, "What about you? What have you done with yours?" It was really quite weird how they were centering their conversation on an analogy she had probably heard of or made up.

She stayed quiet for a long time, Inuyasha waiting and itching to hear her response. Finally, she replied, and without his hanyou senses it was nearly impossible to hear, in fact he was guessing that even _with_ his hanyou abilities, it would've been nearly impossible to hear.

"I lost mine a long time ago."

If she had expected a dramatic silence of soundless questioning and soul searching, she thought wrong.

"Keh! So find another one." Despite the mind-boggling curiosity over her reply, the need to wipe that hopelessness from her voice prevailed.

She merely looked at him, a sad little smile on her face. _I've tried Inuyasha, I really have. But not everyone gets a second chance._

"Whatever." She declared off-handedly, "I'm hungry."

"I don't think you should be eating for another three days."

"And why?"

"Don't want you vomiting all over the place."

"Oh how kind of you."

For the umpteenth time that night, they fell into a comfortable silence… that was until something occurred to Kagome.

"Inuyasha," she said his name questioningly, "What exactly do you do.. as in for a job… how do you make a living?"

He froze. Telling her he was a full human every new moon was nothing compared to this question. He didn't want her to know… not Kagome.

_**888**_

Sango didn't know how to comprehend the information Miroku had just confided in her. It didn't make any sense. She couldn't understand as she shook her head disbelievingly. When he had told her that he was going to confide in her, she had no idea how serious it was, now, she couldn't begin to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

She placed a hand on Miroku's shoulder as a sign of reassurance and support, but she in return received nothing but a helpless sigh as his head dipped even lower.

_"Sango," he breathed weakly, "Do…." He paused, too hard to put it in words, but there was no turning back now, "Do you remember that time when Inuyasha overdosed right before a match?"_

_She regarded him carefully, unsure of where this was heading, "Yes." She replied simply._

_He nodded but didn't reply straight away._

_She spoke again, "You don't mean to tell me it was Naraku who drugged him right?" she asked incredulously, although it wouldn't exactly surprise her if he had, the man was the epitome of evil. _

_"Naraku?.. no, not Naraku." He replied._

_She frowned, "So what do you want to tell me-"_

_"I did." He stated lowly._

………

_"What?"_

_"I did" He breathed, "I was the one who drugged Inuyasha."_

_**888**_

**An:** Thank you so much for the reviews and support. –salutes-

So many of the reviews make me laugh… sometimes evilly too.

_**Disclaimer: don't own **_

**Doll Secret**


	14. The Calm before the Storm

**Love thy Neighbor**

**The Calm before the Storm**

_**888**_

Gees, was it too much to ask for to get some decent sleep around here without all the noise? Her eyes squinted as they struggled to adjust to the light, although dull considering the weather, it was still a pretty significant change from being pitch black. It was raining pretty heavily outside, not to mention the harsh winds threatening to blow this place over. She groaned softly, looking around herself as she scratched her neck and looked at the time.

12.36 pm.

Her body jolted upright immediately. She had never overslept this much. The place was pretty quiet, save for the voices outside the door, and it suddenly occurred to her that Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was in his room, whatever it was, she hurriedly made her way to the door. The voices were really starting to annoy her, and with the oncoming headache because of oversleeping, she was not exactly in the happiest of moods.

She dragged her tired feet towards the door and fumbled to grasp onto the doorknob.

"Maybe she's out."

"Maybe, just keep knocking."

"What for?!"

"Well maybe she's not out, you don't know dear."

"But we've already waited for five minutes!"

"Maybe she's in the shower?"

The door behind the two snapped open, revealing a tousled hair and grumpy Kagome standing there, pajamas twisting in odd places. Sleep clouded her judgment as she glared at the backs of the bickering woman and man as she prepared to tap them on the shoulders and as kindly as her grumpy state would allow, tell them to keep their voices down.

"Uh excus-" but the male interrupted her.

"Kagome Higurashi, we know you're in there, open this door!"

Her eyes grew wide in an instant as realization bombarded her. Sleep completely evaporated from her mind and judgment, leaving her as alert as insanely possible.

"Mom?!"

_**888**_

It was, without the slightest doubt in the world, the worst day of her life.

The idea of jumping off the twenty-level-high hotel balcony was becoming more and more appealing as the grand clock ticked its scrutinizing seconds away. She stared ahead of her, her mother and occasionally her brother's voices completely filtered out of her blank system. She fidgeted in her seat, trying her hardest to look unfazed by the questioning, if not demeaning, looks everyone around her were emanating - but nonetheless the imminent blush could not be stopped, and sadly, it looked like it was going to be permanent.

She glanced down at her stiff clasped hands on her lap and once again cringed at her stupidity. She should've known by now, that to her mother, 'casual' never meant bright blue baggy hoodie, nor did it mean grey slacks with a pair of thongs… yet here she was, in exactly that, sitting in an upper class hotel buffet amongst a jungle of self-important rich snobs. She felt lower than the ear-wax of an ant. Marvelous…. was probably what everyone would probably be sarcastically thinking as they sipped on their precious red wine. Losers.

Crap! Her mother was smiling at her, and by the looks of it, awaiting a reply. Having heard nothing for the past twenty minutes upon arriving at this buffet for lunch, she merely nodded as she picked at her crab salad, trying to occupy herself without making a scene or a fool of herself – which for some reason she felt that she had already achieved.

"So you agree sweetheart?" Mrs. Higurashi said, seemingly pleased. But then again, she was always the optimist.

Having no idea what she had just agreed to, she nodded again, after all, her mother looked fairly pleased, so it couldn't be that bad…. Right?

"That's marvelous, then it's agreed, from now on, you pay for all your bills and I'll continue to support your rent. And here I was thinking I was being unreasonable, how silly of me."

Wrong.

Mrs. Higurashi slapped her head playfully and giggled away as though she carried no worries with her.

Kagome's fork clanged loudly onto her plate when it slipped through her fingers. The somewhat loud noise attracted a few disapproving looks her way as they shook their head from her lack of etiquette. She did an impersonation of a fish as she struggled to rephrase her nods, but Mrs. Higurashi merely continued to eat away, completely unaware of her silent pleas whilst Souta barely managed to conceal his chuckling.

She looked to Souta for help, but he simply shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Glancing back at her mother, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She loved the woman too much to defy her anymore.. along with the fact that she had in all technicality agreed. Whatever, maybe she could negotiate with Miroku to turn on her heating system for free… or maybe not.

"So how have you been feeling darling? Kouga told me you nearly drowned and I came back as soon as possible, but our flights kept delaying-"

This time, Souta interrupted, but his voice dripped with concern, "We went straight to the hospital but the nurses said some man had taken you home AND it wasn't Kouga, who is this guy?" Were all brothers this defensive?

She rolled her eyes, "Mom, I'm feeling fine, wait – not yet, but I'm getting better, Souta-" She looked at him now, "He's my neighbor-"

"Just a neighbor??" He looked at her suspiciously.

"Yes." She answered in a deadpan voice.

"A neighbor you so happen to spend the night with as well?"

"Yes."

He instantly pointed a fork at her nose, "Did he touch you?!"

"EW no!! I was there 'coz he didn't have the keys to my apartment!" She lied. In reality, she actually wasn't quite sure why exactly she was in Inuyasha's apartment, "And trust me – I'm not Inuyasha's type."

This seem to relax Souta a little, but his voice implied he was a little offended, "And why not? Can he be trusted?"

She shrugged nonchalantly and continued to act indifferent as she stabbed her fork into a sun-dried tomato, "I'm no model, and yes, he can be trusted – I think – he's a model of sorts, and part-time swimming instructor, something like that." Her heart pinched at the idea of Inuyasha never giving her a second glance. What happened last night was most likely out of pity.

"Ahh touché." He nodded.

She shot a glare his way, but chose to remain silent, the effects of the medicine still vaguely in her system. Her eyes once again scanned the area, having nothing better to talk about with her brother or mother. She wondered quietly whether she had been perceived the way she was perceiving these people, but somehow she knew deep down she was never the stereotypical rich offspring like most were – she was never one of them because of her father. Her _only_ father.

"Ahem."

Souta startled her from her reverie with an awkward clearing of the throat. His eyes glanced at her quickly but he continued to eat his food before looking at Mrs. Higurashi. She frowned a fraction, but simply waited for him to speak… well it looked like he had something to say.

"So.." he started, now looking terribly uncomfortable. Kagome softly raised an eyebrow in question, catching him looking shiftily at the other lady of the table, who just like her lovely self, seemed oblivious and content with everything around her. "One of the nurses said you had a few male visitors.. three to be exact."

She realized then with dread what he was leading onto.

"Let's not Souta." She warned, trying to make her tone as subtle as possible without gaining the attention of the oblivious woman sitting beside them.

"Kag-" She interrupted him before he could even finish uttering her name as his tone suggested heavily that he was not just going to let the topic drop.

"I said drop it Souta." She had never really used an authoritative voice to speak to Souta, always either arguing, bickering or insulting good-naturedly with each other, but now she truly spoke to him as his older sister, even though she looked like someone they just picked off the streets.

Annoyance dripped heavily from his voice, but nevertheless he tried to contain his anger, "Okay keep hiding from it – see how long you'll last now that he's back." He didn't mean it to be offensive nor did he mean it to provoke her, but the aggravation of her pushing away his help got the better of him.

"I'm not hiding Souta." She really was using her sisterly tone now as she gritted his name out.

"Whatever." He dismissed in frustration, "You need to be careful regardless." Kagome did not miss the hint of concern and kindness in his voice, but she couldn't help but resent Souta at that moment.

She knew full well that he was only caring for her well-being, but she would've been much better off ignoring everything altogether. Yet here he was, trying to make her confront it. When will he learn that she wasn't that kind of person. She always believed that oblivion was bliss, whilst, like most men naturally do, like to confront their problems.

"What are you kids going on about?" Mrs. Higurashi smiled curiously.

Quickly in unison, they both straightened their backs, "Nothing!"

Souta returned to eating his breakfast in peace.. but Kagome could not.

She shook her head…"nothing.."

But this was far from 'nothing.'

_**888**_

_"So what will it be tonight? The Lion King or Aladdin?" He clapped his hands together, a gentle smile on his face._

_"None." She replied in her small voice as he tucked her in bed. Reaching for the soft toy he had bought for her on her ninth birthday, he frowned questioningly, "Why not? I promise I'll do a good job with the voices." He joked, trying to tickle her._

_She frowned a bit, her chubby cheeks glowing a soft pink before snatching the toy and throwing it to the floor, "I only hold Mr. Bubbles when I sleep!" She declared indignantly._

_He paused a bit, looking a little shocked, if not hurt, as he nodded and went to retrieve the discarded toy. "Okay," He breathed, trying to sound unfazed, "So what about the Little Mermaid, you like that don't you?" He tried once again as he passed her 'Mr. Bubbles.'_

_"I hate the Little Mermaid." She whimpered, turning in her bed away from him to face the wall. "Goodnight." She tried to dismiss. Nights were getting more and more lonely now, but even then, she embraced the loneliness, because it gave her time to be with him, in memory at the very least. _

_He tried to chuckle, although uneasily, and brushed off her coldness… even for a nine year-old. "Yeah, the Little Mermaid is boring, I don't like it too. What about Cinderella, everyone likes Cinderella?" He tried._

_"No!" She all but screamed, "I don't want Cinderella, I don't want the Lion King, I don't want anything!" She was kicking in her bed, as if she was seizing up._

_"Okay sweetheart we won-"_

_"Because they're all lies!" She held firmly on her toy, but otherwise her outburst was violently shaking up her room, "Only the good people die! I hate them, I hate them all!" She cried harder, throwing her blanket away from her as he tried to calm her down._

_Having heard the sudden disturbance, Mrs. Higurashi came rushing through the door, "What's the matter?" She spoke in urgency, running towards the screaming and crying little girl._

_"It's not fair." Kagome kept screaming, "It's not fair!!"_

_What she did next, broke Mrs. Higurashi's heart all over again. Kagome screamed. "Papa!! All I want is Papa!"_

_She collapsed heavily into her awaiting mother's arms and sobbed her soul out, her small body trembling violently. Mrs. Higurashi stroked her hair soothingly, whispering continuously that everything will be alright. But everything wasn't alright, and even as the nine year-old she knew better than anyone._

_She barely calmed down, and was overcome with a fit of hiccups. But before she let fatigue claim her, she glared resentfully at the man standing stiffly before them. _

_Her papa had given her Mr. Bubbles, and no matter what or who came along, she would always prefer Mr. Bubbles. _

_**888**_

"Do you know what's the worst feeling?" Miroku asked thoughtfully.

Sango simply shrugged, trying to block his voice out of her system as she upped the volume on her TV, "I don't know."

"Getting pins and needles on the toilet during a winter's night.. that, my dearest Sango, is a horrid feeling."

Her expression turned to that of a disgusted look pausing only to ask him, "Since you know that particular feeling so well, I'm guessing you've, um, had experience?" She didn't exactly want to know, but it was better than out right directly asking him how he knew.

"Of sorts." He replied, although why he was smiling was totally beyond her and this time, she chose to keep quiet, definitely preferring not to know at all. "Or when you're eating rice, and you choke or sneeze, and the rice ends up going through the wrong passage and it feels like it's stuck in your nose, and no matter how hard you try to blow it out, it just won't budge? Man I hate that."

She looked at him weirdly for a few seconds before numbly nodding, "Okay."

Either he was reflecting on that particular experience, in which Sango was shuddering from, or he was simply too tired to talk anymore, either way the only sound heard in Sango's apartment were the voices from the television.

She let out an inaudible sigh. It had been two days since he had confided in her, and ever since, he had converted to his old self again, as though he had not said a thing, but she did see a slight change. He seemed.. less burdened? But she didn't blame him, it was completely understandable why he would go out of his way to avoid the subject, it wasn't exactly pleasant. Nevertheless, it left her confused and curious.

However, whilst she helped carry a bit of this burden, he was left with all the guilt. She saw it now. She was slowly seeing him fall apart, as every smile hid a painful truth – a truth he was still unprepared to share. Avoiding the topic and putting on the carefree façade eased his suffering a bit, yet it served as a constant painful reminder of the reason for why he felt the need to pretend. Sango, who would never openly admit it, was shocked at the emotional impact this had on her, but she could no longer deny the urge to ease Miroku of his pain.

She had cautiously asked him why he did it, why he had drugged Inuyasha. But he merely shook his head in distress and continually repeated, almost to himself, that Inuyasha couldn't get to the finals, that Inuyasha had to stop before it was too late. She didn't ask him to elaborate, nor did she question him any further, realizing the topic at hand was a little too much for the normally light-hearted lecher. So now, she was left to her imagination, trying to come up with explanations as to why Miroku stressed so much on stopping Inuyasha from getting to the finals of the tournament.

What was there to worry about, at the rate Inuyasha was going, winning the finals wasn't nearly as challenging as it should've been. Yet here was Miroku, doing everything he could to stop him. Why?

What was there to fear?

She could only pray that Miroku and Inuyasha knew what they were both doing. But it seemed unlikely, as day by day, Miroku was suffocating under the emotional stress.

_**888**_

Her life was seemingly spiraling out of control all of a sudden. It had been two days since her encounter with Souta and her mom, and whilst she was happy to see them, she hadn't stopped thinking ever since. Too many things bombarded her awareness that at this point, she didn't know how to filter them anymore, how to deal with everything that was suddenly thrown in her way. Why her of all people? She was finding it harder and harder to cope, but she kept it to herself, struggling silently and praying for help silently. She needed to escape.

"-and if I so much as find _one_ missing cup of ramen." He left the sentence unfinished and instead opted to do a 'cutting throat' motion.

Having hardly registered what the hanyou was going on about, Kagome merely nodded numbly and continued to stare through the TV. She wasn't really watching, but it was better staring at the TV than at the wall, that way, it'd be less obvious that her mind was off with the fairies.

This would be her third night. Third night staying in the same apartment with the temperamental Inuyasha. It wasn't like she had officially moved in, in fact, they had never even spoken about it. It just sort of happened. She never asked to stay with him, yet he never refused her as well. It had become a mutual agreement that they both chose not to acknowledge. It almost seemed like both were afraid to bring the topic up, fearing that if they truly acknowledged it, then this new living arrangement would cease to exist… and secretly, both had become too adjusted and somewhat reliant on each other's company.

His mouth was still moving, but she wasn't exactly hearing what he was saying. Judging by his facial expression, he was most likely threatening her anyways. She was use to it. Although they hardly encountered each other, even though they had been living together for the past two or so days since Inuyasha was always mysteriously gone off to do some modeling photo shoot, she had grown accustomed to his overprotective ways.

For example, she had already learnt of two rules living with him.

1. She was not to touch his Ramen under any circumstances. Even if she was dying in starvation.

And 2. If she was ever home alone (which was most of the times) never let Miroku in. She wasn't quite sure what that one meant, but she complied nonetheless seeing as though he always seemed so serious with this rule, even more so than his protectiveness over his ramen.

Slowly a gentle smile made its way on her soft features. She didn't know how, and why, but Inuyasha seemed to be the only thing that now brought her some kind of distraction and happiness in her life. He was her gateway to escape from the harsh realities of the world, he was even at some time, her pillar of strength. But these thoughts frightened her a bit as it was always followed by a surge of emotions she knew was unhealthy, not to mention the butterflies fluttering in her stomach every time she so much as looked at him carefully.

"And what are you smiling about wench?"

Naturally having not heard him, she simply sat there still smiling, thinking he was still unaware that she wasn't paying any attention to him.

He frowned a bit, slightly worried as he walked towards her and sat down on the couch next to her and placed a hand on her forehead. "Hey, you alright Kagome?" he asked, trying to mask his concern, but failing miserably.

Snapping out of her reverie the moment he had made his way towards her, she quickly nodded and looked away, embarrassed about her slip up. "Fine."

He regarded her for a split second before shrugging and walking off again, once again continuing to shout out random orders.

"-so after that, it wouldn't matter if the toilet brush was dirty."

Kagome had to scrunch her face with that one. He was so weird sometimes, how on earth had he managed to say that and make it seem so natural all at once.

"-but regardless, Oreos will always have a higher fat content-"

Before he could continue anymore of his pointless rambling, Kagome interrupted him. "Inuyasha?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. Somehow, much to his agitation, her voice now held the power to capture his undivided attention. He liked the sound of it too much.

"Where exactly are you going tonight again? I forgot."

He had to turn around for this, finding it extremely difficult to lie to her ever trusting gaze. He wondered why he hadn't of just told her that he was a fighter, instead telling her he was a model when she had asked what he did for a living. He hated having to abuse her trust. It was hard lying to her, it felt too unnatural, too artificial, too everything he had come to despise.

"Remember…" he said, aggravated at himself for doing this to someone like her, "I have a photo shoot tonight. Listen for once would ya?" He hadn't meant to sound so harsh with her, but he couldn't help the anger at himself to seep through his tone.

Quickly, she felt a rush of guilt consume her. Maybe she should listen to him once in a while, not that he spoke that much anyways, after all, he was letting her live with him since she was no longer financially supported.

"Sorry." She mumbled quietly, although sincerely. "I forgot."

If he could knock himself out, he would've done it at that exact moment. He hated seeing her like this, as if she was the one at fault when in reality he was abusing her trust. He never felt lower. Sighing and running a clawed hand through his hair, he hesitantly made his way towards her again.

He had no idea what compelled him to squat down in front of her, resting all his weight on the front part of his foot, but he did anyways, knees cracking simultaneously as he did so. He made her look at him when it became obvious that she was too shy and nervous to hold his intense gaze. Gently holding her behind her neck, he moved her head to look directly at him instead of the TV.

For a moment neither one of them spoke, both embracing the opportunity to simply stare at each other. Her heart was beating a million miles per second as her cheeks began to flush. This feeling was so new to her, but she couldn't deny the happiness it brought her. Even though she knew she was kidding herself, the illusion of him looking at her as if she was his most precious girl, was enough for her. She would at least permit herself the naivety of thinking that perhaps her feelings for him, that she could no longer deny, would one day be reciprocated.

He heard her heart speed up and the cute pink cheeks did not escape his observation. She was so young, still so innocent amongst everything he had seen and witnessed in his life. She was his breath of fresh air, his solace and escape. He noticed with amusement the tiny freckles scattered extremely subtly on her cheeks, her slightly flat nose and her very medium length eyelashes… Gods, when had he started to find her so incredibly beautiful? Without him realizing it, he starting rubbing her right cheek with his thumb in a circular motion.

She closed her eyes sub-consciously and leaned into his touch, letting this illusion last just for a little longer. His gaze became more intense until he could hold back no longer, slowly leaning in until she could feel his hot breath against her cheek. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching before he started to rub them together slowly and gently, breathing her in. So many times their lips nearly touched, but they would only miss by a few millimeters.

The force was incredible, as if there physically really was a magnetic force drawing them together. He could not pull away, begging to remain in this world of ecstasy and solace forever. His other hand had moved to the other side of her neck as well, looking like he was preparing to kiss her, yet never actually making any contact with their lips. Her hands had fisted themselves in his T-shirt, as though a child desperate for a close adult to stay by their side, a child desperate for their undivided attention.

They were both so lost in their trance, they hadn't realized the knocking on the door. Finally, Inuyasha breathed out her name, "Kagome."

It was as if she had suddenly awoken from a dream, deliriously slurring out, "Hmm." as her eyes remained closed, still drowning in the strong scent that could only be Inuyasha's.

"Don't be sorry." And before she could fully register what he had just said, he was out the door. Suddenly the emptiness and loss of warmth was too much. She looked around her feeling lost without Inuyasha there. She let out a little whimper, as the worry from the past days events caught up with her again, only now, she was alone to face her past demons.

Before she let the memories of her 'papa' consume her mind, a gentle knock on the door, followed by a voice brought a rush of relief flooding through her senses. "Kagome, you in there?"

It was Sango.

Quickly, she jumped onto her wobbly feet and made her way towards the door and instantly opened it to welcome her only friend.

"Hey Sango." She smiled brightly. Sango looked eerily like an angel at that precise moment. She could not be more relieved to have Sango come by and rescue her from herself.

Before she could really say anything more, Sango threw a white dress into her unsuspecting arms and smiled confidently.

"Get changed Kagome." She demanded coolly, albeit kindly, "We're going clubbing."

_**888**_

**An: **Gasp! Clubbing?... 'The calm before the storm?'…me writing the story?!!...surely next chapter can NOT be good news.

Thank you so much for all the support. And since I believe my kissy noises scare away the kiddies and thoroughly disturb the rest… I have decided to stop and instead do **_this _**-suggestive eyebrow wriggling- That's for you guys man!!

**Doll secret**


	15. When things go KABOOM!

**Love thy Neighbor**

**When things go KABOOM!**

_**888**_

"I don't know about this Sango, maybe this isn't such a good idea."

She cussed mildly as Sango tugged viciously at her hair. The moment the insanely silky dress was thrown into her arms, and the moment Sango had uttered the words 'clubbing' and 'we', Kagome had been filled with a deep sense of underlying dread. She had barely said a thing when her tall lean friend had shoved her into the apartment and started 'working her magic' on her.

She stiffly glanced at the clock as it blinked back 10.48pm at her. Sighing, she gently let the dress slide onto the kitchen bench as she sat rigidly on one of the high stools, letting Sango do whatever she was doing with her hair. It really was getting quite late, and she wasn't much of a dancer let alone a frequent clubber, but on the other hand, the idea of sitting alone in front of the television set was just as unappealing, if not more.

"Nonsense! It'll be fun!" Her companion replied back distractedly, still trying to untangle some of the knots in her thick raven locks. "And besides, we're young, beautiful and simply irresistible, it would be against every rule in the book to not go out." She joked good-naturedly, finally combing through her hair without her comb getting caught up in a bunch of tangles.

She would've giggled had she been in less pain, but the stinging sensation still left her a little speechless. She sighed, folding her hands patiently on her lap as Sango moved swiftly around her, doing God knows what to her hair and face. In all honestly, she would've much preferred having a girl's night in, looking like street bums and just laughing the night away like hyenas as they normally do. She couldn't help it when she looked at an unknowing and focused Sango and smiled. Her mind was doing overtime these days, as realizations upon realizations dawned on her.

Somehow, Sango had turned out to be a great friend, if not her only true friend. It had never really occurred to her, but she was gradually starting to realize the synthetic factor her old life held. She couldn't exactly say that it hurt her, but she did wonder at times whether any of her friends even realized she had moved. So far, no phone calls from them, and it seemed unlikely that she would ever get a call from them, not that it bothered her much anyways. She was glad she inherited that trait from her father, not really taking much to heart.

"I don't know Sango," She sighed doubtfully, "I don't really fit into the clubbing scene, it'd be a better place without me." She tried to joke, but Sango was barely listening to laugh.

"Chin up." She instructed, resulting in Kagome tilting her head back, "Just trust me okay, whatever happens tonight, I'm sure will be memorable." She encouraged, dabbing light foundation on her face.

"What if it's a bad memorable?" She wasn't sure why she was arguing, maybe she just needed to hear words of reassurance from her friend, because she had already decided to go anyways.

By now, Sango had picked up a large brush and started sweeping a gentle bronzer on her cheeks to enhance her facial structure, "What are you so afraid of Kagome – close your eyes." She demanded, moving on to apply a soft grey eye shadow across her eyelids, hoping to give her a more sultry look, before instructing her to look certain ways to apply a light coat of mascara on her top and bottom eyelashes.

She bit her lip, thankful that Sango hadn't applied that nude lip-gloss lying on the table yet, "I don't know, I'm just being stupid I suppose."

Sango paused and smiled reassuringly at Kagome for a second, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're lacking in self-confidence." She laughed it off as she continued applying eyeliner on her, but Kagome held her breath for a fraction of a second.

She placed the lip-gloss down, having applied enough to give her lips a healthy moisturized look before stepping back and marveled at her work. Kagome fidgeted on the stool, unsure of what to do and where to look at as Sango smiled at her work, "Loosen up Kag! You look.. stunning." The words were as genuine as they could get, but Kagome still had a hard time believing it, "I'm goooood." Sango laughed.

Before Kagome could ask to go look in the mirror, Sango had continued with her hair, "This should be quick, you're so lucky your hair is naturally wavy." She admired.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her eye-sockets. Sango, the taller, skinner, much more beautiful one, was admiring her, the average duckling with wavy hair. She couldn't deny it, it actually made her happy and slowly a smile made its way on her face. "I'd kill for straight hair like yours."

"Oh," Sango gasped like a drama-queen, and flicked her hand in dismissal, "Straight hair is like _so_ yesterday."

They both laughed whole-heartedly at her perfect impersonation of a Paris Hilton wannabe.

_**888**_

"Fifteen minutes Mr. Takahashi." A man dressed in casual black clothes and a headset hurriedly said as he quickly disappeared from Inuyasha's locker room.

Even without his sensitive hearing, he could clearly make out the booming music and intense chanting outside. He really couldn't give a shit about the fight at that moment, he was more concerned about those trusting set of blue-black eyes he had lied to. He felt like scum. Of all people, he was taking advantage of the person who least deserved it. Fantastic, he kind of wish he'd get a good ass-kicking from his opponent – but still win the fight – just to knock some sense into him.

He cracked his knuckles, his determination in winning this fight quickly growing as he clearly heard his name being chanted by the thousands of spectators. His muscles felt tense and the silence around him was starting to irk him slightly. He hated this period of just sitting and waiting, almost like being too close, yet not close enough, if that even made sense. Suddenly, he felt a hand rest on his bare shoulder. He didn't need to look up to know who it was since there was only one person he specified to allow in his locker room.

"You sure about this?" Stupid question, but like always, Miroku asked anyways, still hoping for the impossible.

Inuyasha scoffed and shook his head at the stupidity of the question, and decided to annoy Miroku a bit, "Nope." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Miroku didn't buy it and rolled his eyes, sitting down across from him on one of the benches, "It's _your_ ass out there." He too shrugged uncaringly.

"My ass that every woman happens to find incredibly sexy." He smiled smugly, although still leaning both his elbows on his knees in a relaxed manner.

"Nice try. You're just trying to make me think about your ass right now. You're sick Inuyasha."

"Not as sick as the one picturing my ass."

"I'm not picturing your ass."

"I hope not."

"You're an asshole Inuyasha." Miroku spoke before realizing his slip up as a very cocky grin made its way on his already smug features.

"So much for not thinking about my ass."

"Just shut up." Miroku uncharacteristically backed down dejectedly. It was obvious from the moment he walked in, his demeanor was different. Even his attempts at being himself had failed miserably, but then again, it was always like this before every fight, and Inuyasha knew it.

"I'll be alright out there." Inuyasha tried to offer, after all, he knew Miroku was just looking out for his best interests.

"Whatever." It was actually hitting him harder than Inuyasha had expected, this time being the worse he had ever seen Miroku. It was almost like a role reversal, Inuyasha offering reassurance, the way Miroku was always the optimist, and Miroku brushing off the attempts he was making, the way Inuyasha would have normally done.

"Would you stop being so anal Miroku?!"

"I'm not being anal!" he retaliated, folding his arms across his chest, whilst Inuyasha remained in his relaxed position, unmoving.

"Yes you are, being all depressed and shit."

"You're anal-" he tried insulting back, only to being interrupted swiftly by the hanyou.

"- is not something I want you thinking about. It's unhealthy Miroku."

"Look! I'm not thinking about your ass or you're an-"

A few very awkward and hesitant knocks diverted their attention to the doorway as Miroku halted midway in his sentence.

"Uh, Mr. Takahashi.. five more minutes." And just like that, the boy scampered off.

Turning his attention back to the scarlet faced manager, Inuyasha quirked his lips in what looked like a smile, "You were saying Miroku..?"

_**888**_

"Come on Kagome! Let's go!" Sango called out, pulling the nervous and slightly overwhelmed girl by the arm.

Laser lights were frantically flashing everywhere outside the club, as lines upon lines of countless people all dressed importantly and beautifully stood in the cold to wait to get in. She was extremely conscious of their stares, all judging her either negatively or positively, she wasn't sure, but she was just as uncomfortable. Quickly pulling back at the girl ahead of her, she screamed above the insanely loud music pumping inside, "Actually Sango, I don't think I'm feeling too well."

Sango wanted to tell her that she was a pathetic liar, but opted to simply and firmly shake her head replying, "Come one Kags, we're here already!" And with that, Sango dragged her through the door, acknowledging the bouncers with a nod as they without any questions let them in, resulting in loud jeering form the enormous crowd outside seeing as though they didn't even line up.

Before Kagome knew what was happening, her body was being shoved by other sweaty bodies down a hallway and into, what she assumed, was a section of the club. The music was so loud, she felt her eardrums were going to pop at any minute. She looked around her in a daze, as intoxicated people drank, danced, and to her horror, were even having sex in dark hidden corners in the club. She unconsciously held onto Sango's hand tighter as the girl beside her simply smiled excitedly.

"Come on Kagome, let's go get a drink and dance!" Sango screamed excitedly in her ear, although Kagome still had to strain to hear her. She simply nodded, allowing Sango to lead the way, seeing as though she looked no different to a deer caught in headlights.

Pushing their way through hundreds of people, they made it to the bar as Sango screamed out certain drinks Kagome had never even heard of. Had she really been so shielded in her life that she had missed out on living? She shook her head. The whole point of this was to free herself from over-thinking.

"Sango!" Kagome tugged at her friend. Said girl looked back curiously at her companion, waiting for her question, "What's happening over there?" She randomly pointed, noticing everyone trying to move in a certain direction.

Handing over her alcoholic beverage, Sango yelled back, "This is section A of the club, section B, C and D is a gigantic stadium. Tournaments for professional fighters are held in those sections, but I don't know who's fighting tonight!"

Kagome simply formed an 'o' with her mouth and nodded, sipping slightly on her drink as she tried to keep her balance from the bodies shoving against them.

"Why? Do you want to go watch? I think it started a bit ago!"

Kagome immediately shook her head, refusing to watch such violent sports.

"We can stay here!" Kagome smiled before Sango nodded and started dancing.

_**888**_

Inuyasha already had a huge gash on his right temple, as blood oozed quickly from the cut. Blood had scattered messily all over the matted floor in the ring as the opponent wasn't looking too good. Nearly double Inuyasha's weight and almost a full two heads taller than the hanyou, the man could not compare to Inuyasha's force, precision and speed.

The fight had started a good twenty minutes ago, and Inuyasha had easily maintained the upper-hand. There were moments where he had nearly encountered bone-breaking punches or deadly kicks, but those he had escaped with effort. The stench of blood, alcohol and sweat evaded his hanyou senses, and at the same time, he sensed the man's desperation to win, and fear of him. He liked that.

Thousands of voices screamed in a frenzy for Inuyasha to just finish the guy off, but right before Inuyasha had kicked him in the face, with brutal strength, the man had actually delivered an exceptionally strong blow to his head, leaving him slightly disorientated. He waited for the guy to stand back up, wanting to win the fight in all his glory and also to clear and steady his body.

"Come on Inuyasha!! Kill him!"

The crowd was absolutely going fanatical, loyally cheering on Inuyasha as he was always the favourite to win. He knew Naraku was probably off in one of his VIP boxes smirking down at the likely result to come from this, and he cursed that it brought the bastard pleasure.

"You can do it! Finish the fucker off now!!"

Voices, so many of them, yet whilst he heard all of them, he hardly registered one of them. The man was shakily, albeit gradually standing back up. He looked fierce, angry and determined to get his own back.

Inuyasha smirked, wiping the blood off his face as he realized that perhaps the fight wasn't over just yet. This hardly meant anything to Inuyasha, although it did mean the crowd would get a longer and possibly more entertaining show. There was no doubt Inuyasha would win the fight, the only factor was how long it would take him.

The adrenaline coursing through him was becoming more and more intense as he once again realized how much closer he was getting to reaching his ultimate goal. It pumped in his veins like a drug, driving him to block out everything except the objective to win, even ignoring the physical pain and any emotional baggage. It was like he was inhabiting someone else's body, acting on its own accord and not having the ability to feel. He didn't know whether he liked that or not since he was never consciously aware of it.

Every time he was in the ring, all he wanted was to see blood, even if it was his own blood. Sometimes, it was like his demon side was more dominant in his fights, most likely because his fights would be calling upon his survival instincts.

"You fucking bastard!" The man sneered, wiping blood off his chin, "You'll regret that!" And with that, he went charging towards the fierce hanyou.

_**888**_

Just moments ago she had been violently separated from Sango as a rush of people started pushing her towards the direction of the stadium. She could vaguely hear the people pushing her screaming, "He's getting back up!"

She was starting to panic, as she lost sight of her friend, not to mention she had no idea where these people would ultimately push her towards. It was getting too hot, even in her little dress, and she was finding it much too hard to breath. Maybe it was from the panic, but whatever it was, she was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.. and it didn't help when she was pushed into the stadium, where a roar of cheers erupted maniacally behind her.

For a moment, she forgot about her claustrophobia, even her panic when she turned around and looked at the amount of people. Thousands… thousands of people screaming..

_Inuyasha..?_

The heat was probably getting the better of her when for a second she thought the people surrounding her had screamed his name. She shook her head. She needed to get out of here. Against the onslaught of people, she aggressively pushed her way out of the stadium.. until..

"You're a fucking legend Inuyasha!"

She paused, realizing she had not hallucinated that. Whipping around, she was just in time to see a certain silver-haired hanyou gracefully jump into the air and back kick the opponent in the face, sending him flying out of the ring.

The crowd roared in excitement.

Her heart broke before her very eyes.

_**888**_

It was over, the only thing running rampantly across his mind was how much closer he was getting to his desired goal as someone beside him raised his arm in the air, a sign of victory. He couldn't help the proud smirk on his face as thousands cheered him on, praised him and envied him. For a while, his mind was drugged into a state of ecstasy, simply reveling in the feeling of victory.

His eyes scanned the stadium, not really focusing on anything or anyone… until his golden orbs landed on the only person in the stadium who remained emotionless.

How he spotted her was beyond him, maybe it was a larger force drawing them together, but the moment his eyes landed on her, he could no longer hear anything but his own heartbeat, could not sense anything, but her presence and could not see anything but _her_.

A ton of emotions bombarded his senses as they both stood paralyzed and only staring at each other. He couldn't breath, his breathe completely taken away from him at the beauty before his very eyes. Hair messily waved along with the sultry, yet still innocent, make up and lastly the white Grecian dress that only reached above her knees, showing off her legs, made him truly believe that she was the most beautiful creature in his eyes.

But something was off.

Her eyes, normally rampant with emotions, seemed doll-like – just like the day at the hospital. It scared him and confused him, until it finally hit him. She had just witnessed him fighting, witnessed a side of him her innocent soul had never been exposed to… and witnessed his lie in all its glory.

He felt needles stabbing him everywhere as a surge of panic and pain raced through him. Her eyes were emotionless, but her expression was that of hurt and betrayal. He took a step closer in the ring and immediately, she flinched backwards, her eyes suddenly showing all the pain, betrayal and even fear. She shook her head, begging to the Gods that this was not true, begging that this was not her Inuyasha.. but no matter how hard or how long she begged, the scene before her didn't change.

"No.." She whimpered, feeling her heart rip into shreds, the illusion of a future she had created of her and Inuyasha deteriorated cruelly.

He didn't know how, but he caught her whimper. Immediately he knew he needed to be near her, because he could no longer take the pain in his heart. He needed to explain, to make things right, and to hold her… to simply hold her because he needed her.

"Kagome.." he whispered, sub-consciously taking another step towards her in the ring.

Everything was closing up on her. There were too many people. The place was getting dark, it was getting too small. She was hyperventilating. She had to get out.

Fear washed over Inuyasha the moment he detected something wrong with Kagome. Her eyes were unfocused as she clutched her heaving chest. He didn't give a shit what others thought, he had to get to her before it was too late, but he felt the air knocked out of his lungs the moment she looked up at him again, this time, full blown heartbreak on her expression… and then she ran.

_**888**_

She had desperately pushed her way out into the harsh coldness – a painful mockery of the stabbing pains in her heart. In a state of cruel heartbreak and panic, she shakily wrapped her bare arms around her shivering frame and rushed towards the street without looking back. She held onto her head for a second trying to calm herself, but to no avail. She needed to know where she was going, she needed to quickly gather her thoughts because she was going home. No, not back to her apartment, she was going _home_.

Swallowing hard as her breathing was still unsteady and heavy, without thinking, she continued to briskly walk away from the club, having no idea where she was heading. She was too confused and unable to think, nevertheless, she didn't stop moving, even if it was futile, even if she wasn't achieving anything. A choked sob broke free as tears rolled heavily down her cheeks as she finally let the sense of helplessness hit her. Quickly hiding her face from the semi drunk public, she viciously wiped at her tears, as she cautiously dodged a few leering men shouting out what they would do with a 'pretty thing' like her.

Her head was whipping left to right, trying in a hurry to search for a taxi, a bus, anything to get her out of this place.. but it was too late, without her knowing, her nightmare was slowly approaching her from behind.

"Kagome.."

Her blood froze. Her mind spinning as she felt her knees almost buckling. She felt herself stopping in her tracks as her body trembled in immense fear, in immeasurable panic.

_'No.. please God, no..' _She chanted repeatedly in her head as though her silent pleas would be answered if she begged enough times.

Shaking her head in disbelief and an attempt to lie to herself, she willed her legs to move again, desperate to get away from everything now. But fate had already decided otherwise, as his eerily calm voice spoke her name again.

"Kagome."

She stopped again, this time, closing her eyes as she struggled to hold back a sob. Her chin trembled in fear as she hesitantly turned around… for the second time in six years, facing her nightmare in those deathly serene brown eyes. The moment her body was facing his, she carefully backed away pathetically, shaking her head as tears rolled down her cold cheeks.

"No…. please.. no." She wasn't even sure what she was whimpering 'no' to, but nevertheless, she continued to back away as he continued to slowly approach her with a calm smile.

"It's been so long… well.. not that long I guess." He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

Her voice cracked as she hoarsely whispered, "You're not suppose to be here-"

But he paid no attention to her as he continued to walk towards her, "You've grown so much my beautiful Kagome… I don't suppose you'd listen to my stories anymore.." His eyes suddenly darkened behind the unnaturally calm façade, but before her frozen form could formulate a coherent response, he brushed a strand of her hair aside.

It took almost all her willpower to not visibly tremble in front of him, "So much time has passed.." For a brief second, a moment of rage flickered in his eyes, but it left as quickly as it came, "But that's okay, from now on, we're going to have all the time in the world to make up for the past six years… well," he chuckled, "six years, eight days and thirteen hours, but who's counting huh?" He laughed that unnatural laugh.

She closed her eyes and really did shake visibly now, "You're not suppose to be here." She repeated weakly.

He smiled, "No no no, it's okay – I'm allowed to be here," He nodded, "I'm allowed to be here."

"How is Ayumi?" He finally asked. His tone pleasant with a heavy undertone of something that brought shivers running rapidly down Kagome's spine

She panicked, her eyes finally displaying fear as she shook her head, "No.. please, I'm sorry, please just leave us alone, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'm sorry.." She continued to repeat, her knees buckling, but his deathly grip on her thin arms held her entire body up. He was slowly hurting her.

But he only smiled calmly, "How is my beautiful wife?"

His nails dug into her cold flesh as tiny droplets of blood trickled down her arms. "You're hurting me." She begged.

But he made no signs of acknowledging her plea, "I've missed her dearly."

"Please.." she whimpered, the pain of his nails digging into her overwhelming her senses.

"Do you know_ Kagome_, that there hasn't been a single minute where I haven't thought about you or your mother… it was almost," He smiled dangerously, _maniacally_, "crazy."

"Please.."

Before he was to say another word, an enraged voice roared through the cold air, "GET THE FUCK OFF HER!!"

His nails instantly retracted from her sore flesh as he was pummeled to the ground by a flash of silver. Immediately Kagome collapsed from the fear, the pain and the sheer relief of seeing her savior.

A pair of strong arms encircled her waist before she hit the hard cement. "Kagome." She heard him breath desperately and falling gracefully to the ground with her.

Her eyes were fighting in vain to stay open, but the loss of blood and the fear took too much of a toll on her as she was slipping into unconsciousness. But it was okay now, she was in his warm and safe arms.

"Kagome!" He shook her gently, never in his life so regretful, so scared and so alone.

Roughly pulling her body towards his, he held her unbelievably tight as he buried his nose into the crook of her neck. He kissed her neck. "It's okay…" he rubbed his nose against her neck, breathing in her intoxicating smell, "I'm not letting go."

_**888**_

**An: **Hypothetically, would you guys hate me if I were to tell you that the next chapter is actually completed but I refuse to post it up simply because I want you guys to squeal in your chairs and swear at your computer screens at me?... yes? Good, because it's not done yet. I just wanted to check.

Thank you for all the reviews, pm's and emails – suggestive eyebrow wriggling-

Ps. I betcha I've provoked a good half of you to swear at me anyways through your review… life's tough.

**Doll secret**


	16. Underneath the Layers

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Underneath the Layers**

_**888**_

_"Kagome." He held his head, closing his eyes in exasperation as he sat before the twelve year old raven-haired girl, "I.. I just don't understand you anymore."_

_Kagome kept her lips firmly clinched together, looking on defiantly at the man sitting behind his large oak-wood desk. Her body was rigid, standing distantly away from the table. Her eyes were livid with rage as she barely contained the shaking of her thin and awkward body. He leaned back in his chair, regarding her with a somewhat broken-heart expression, an expression that spoke of a deep sense of hopelessness and sorrow. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as though it would rid him of his uneasiness._

_"Please say something – anything?" He tried futilely. And just as he had expected, she didn't even flinch as she kept her angry stare steady and unmoving._

_He sighed heavily, "Gods Kagome, I'd wish you'd just make things easier between us and everyone, especially your mother," her cheeks flushed a bright red at the mention of her mother. This time, her eyes squinted, watering slightly as she was racked with nothing but betrayal. She hated how he spoke of her mother as if he knew her better than she did, "Why can't you just tell me why you're angry at me, once again, so we can sort this out?" he asked tiredly. _

_But even though it was blatantly obvious that she was shaking with anger, she chose to defy him and continued to remain silent. It would kill him, she knew it, making him guilty and constantly guessing why she was suddenly so emotional. She couldn't help it, she wanted him to suffer, she even wanted her mother to suffer – although she knew that technically her mother hadn't done anything wrong… nor did he – but she didn't care if she was acting selfishly, because they obviously didn't care what she or Souta felt. _

_"I know this is going to sound stupid, but… do you remember when you were eight? You use to cling onto me and tell me stories until you were too tired to even bat an eyelash… what happened? I just don't understand how you've grown to-" he paused for a second, unsure if he could truly say it, "…how you've grown to… resent me so much?" His eyes were pained, hoping that she would open her mouth to deny that accusation.. but she did not, and her silence was enough a confirmation than her actually saying 'I hate you.'_

_He chuckled bitterly and brokenly, "I see.." He tried to act unfazed as he made an effort to look back down at his work, "You're probably not prepared to talk just yet, maybe we can continue this when you're ready, I'll be here to listen." He said genuinely. _

_Without even a nod of acknowledgement, she turned stiffly on her feet and walked briskly towards his study room doors. Before she was able to turn the knob, someone from outside had already done it for her. Coincidentally, her mother walked in, a look of uneasiness on her expression, "Oh, sweetheart.. um, finished talking already?"_

_She felt hot tears stinging her eyes. Yes, she had felt anger towards the man, but when she faced her own mother, the disappointment and betrayal almost suffocated her. No, she would speak to her mother, because her mother was better than the man, she deserved more than that man._

_Completely ignoring her question, Kagome all but coldly replied, "If you force me to participate in this silly wedding of yours…" She paused, her following words hurting her as well, "then, I'll be forced to hate you too."_

_She walked out the room, never looking back to see the endless tears on her mother's face nor the broken look on Jai, her stepfather to be._

_**888**_

She groaned gently as she tried to block out the intruding voices around her. With as much willpower as she could possibly muster, she forced her heavy and slightly swollen eyes open. She noticed at once that it was still the middle of the night and the voices were coming from outside the bedroom door. She barely cared what they were talking about as her tiredness was catching up to her once again. She wanted to sleep, to just forget about everything that was obviously going wrong in her life.

But nonetheless, the moment the voices were clear enough for her to decipher, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Sango," Miroku sighed exasperatedly, even angrily, "I don't understand why you're always around this club. I told you specifically not to go unless I was with you."

"I'm sorry Miroku." Kagome was shocked, to say the least, at Sango's defeated tone, "I didn't know Inu-"

"What you didn't know has jeopardized a lot." Miroku merely stated it as a fact, his words still kind and forgiving, although tired and slightly disappointed.

Sango mumbled something that Kagome couldn't make out before she heard her brunette friend apologetically say to Inuyasha, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, "Inuyasha, I really am sorry, I had no idea that you were figh-"

"Forget it Sango," He said, defeated. "Just forget it." He wanted to say that he didn't blame her at all, nor was it in any way her fault, but he really didn't have the heart to say much at that given moment. Kagome's heart squeezed painfully at his broken voice. Never had she heard him so helpless, so vulnerable. "I need to sleep." He stated bluntly, another way of implying to 'get lost.'

They understood clearly because gradually, Kagome heard their footsteps heading towards the direction of the door. Sango had probably left first, according to Kagome's assumption, because there was a moment of silence before she heard Miroku's voice again, "I know why you lied to her."

Once again, Kagome was brutally reminded of the betrayal, as she desperately strained to hear more, "And I'm honestly glad you did what you did." Inuyasha didn't say anything and Kagome simply held her breath confused.

"I've seen the way you look at her – you care for the girl more than you dare to admit."

Kagome waited for some kind of retaliation, some form of denial, but it never came. Her stomach tickled with butterflies at the possibility that there was some kind of truth behind Miroku's words. Finally, she heard the door close… and it was then that she realized to its full extent that Inuyasha had silently agreed to Miroku's statement. She was confused although relieved. Why had he lied to her then?

Her thoughts instantly paused upon hearing his footsteps approaching the bedroom. She froze momentarily, wondering whether she should feign sleep and avoid him altogether, or confront the issue right now since she was somewhat awake. She lay silently and holding her breath as the door creaked open, still unsure of how to act, she stayed still. He walked towards the double bed, his feet dragging behind him, completely losing his normal confident and proud strides.

He stopped at the foot of the bed and simply stood there staring in the dark room at the small figure curled up on his bed. The moonlight acted as the only source of light and Inuyasha was glad for that. Kagome kept her eyes closed as she continued to feel his strong presence looking down on her, before after what felt like a small eternity, he turned around and sat on the end of the bed, his back hunched over, head dipped and elbows resting on his knees.

She subtly peeked up at him before realizing for sure that his back was facing her. This made it easier, knowing that she wouldn't have to face him directly. So with all the courage she could muster, with all the willpower that kept her in the same room as Inuyasha, she slowly sat up in a sitting position, the blanket now falling to her waist and covering only her legs. She watched him carefully in the moonlit room and he didn't even flinch when she moved into an upright position.

He had known the moment since walking in, that she was not sleeping. His hanyou hearing was able to detect her breathing, and it told him that it wasn't shallow enough for sleep. He waited, for the first time in his life, in a position like this, where he held no control whatsoever, where he felt that so much was on the line, where he felt for the first time that he could not lose… not this.

Finally, the silence was broken. It was odd at first, a foreign sound breaking the peaceful tranquility, yet at the same time, it brought some kind of relief for the hanyou.

"Hello." She said meekly, her voice broken and disheartened.

He had to physically force himself to remain still, to not turn around and sweep her into his arms. "I'm sorry you were hurt."

She didn't reply straight away as she tried to decipher specifically what he meant. She looked down at her arms and noticed that they were bandaged carefully, covering the broken flesh from Jai's nails. So perhaps he was referring to her physical wounds.

"You didn't know." Was her only reply. Her voice was soft and timid, as though she no longer knew how to act in front of the hanyou. This made Inuyasha cringe. She spoke to him as though he were a mere stranger to her.

He couldn't form a coherent thought let alone a coherent response, so he simply opted to sit there. As long as he could be close to her, he would be happy for now. The damage was done and he was too tired to wonder whether he could repair his actions. He closed his eyes, remembering the precise moment she had looked at him.. before running away.

She had run from him… from _him_.

Nothing numbed him more than that, nothing hurt more that.. and it was all his doing.

"Why Inuyasha?" His name sounded foreign on her tongue as she once again broke the eerie silence.

He shrugged nonchalantly. He really didn't know how to handle the situation so he had quickly decided for the millionth time in his life, that not giving a shit would save him from all the pain. "It just sorta happened, I dunno." His voice wasn't cruel, but his indifference pretty much killed Kagome emotionally. "Guess the cat's outta the bag now huh?" He shrugged again as if he had simply spilt some overdue milk.

She was speechless, her heart almost literally breaking, and she was almost certain she even heard the shattering. He didn't care, was all she could think of, he really didn't care at all. She should've known better. This wasn't his fault, it was all her fault – her fault for being so naïve, so trusting and so fucken delusional. It was her all damn fault. Without her realizing, she was crying silently. Her body shook and trembled as trails of tears traveled the length of her face before soundlessly hitting the blanket… but she made no sound.

She understood. "I see." Her voice was thick as she choked on her words.

She shook her head and covered her face with her hands, still not making a noise as she cried desperately into her palms. If he had lied about his occupation, something that didn't even hold much significant value, then what more could he be hiding from her? She was hurting… because she finally let the realization sink in that once again, their worlds were too different to ever mould together. She felt herself suffocating having to contain her sobs, but she didn't want him to pity her. Even she knew she was a pathetic sight to look at, that was probably why he wouldn't even face her in the damn dark.

He kept quiet, his mind swirling out of his control. She finally removed her palms from her face, breathing in deeply as she wiped casually at her tears. She tried to stay strong as she nodded her head in understanding, "Okay." She tried saying light-heartedly.

He felt the bed shift as he realized at once that she was getting off. "Okay." She whispered again, this time, to herself. She wanted to laugh, to cry, to scream at her own naivety and stupidity. But at least she understood now – she had lived in her own make-believe fairytale, the very thing she had despised all along, the very thing she had taught herself long ago not to believe in – and she could blame no one but herself.

She had nothing left to say, nothing left to give, so she wordlessly made her way towards the door. It was time for her to wake from her delusional fantasy – and this dream only existed in this apartment.

Her hand reached for the doorknob when suddenly two strong arms encircled her, trapping her arms against her chest, ceasing her actions as she was powerfully pushed up against a chest, her back facing him.

"Kagome, please.." He sounded breathless as he held onto her, unable to think of anything to say than to hold her and make sure she couldn't leave. It hadn't consciously occurred to him that his indifference would push her to her limits, and now that the possibility of her truly leaving him was presented, he felt himself panic.

Another choked sob escaped her as she struggled against his arms and tried her hardest to break free. "Let go.." She whimpered thickly albeit softly… which crushed his heart that little bit more.

"Please Kagome, I'm sorry.." his breathed into her ear, this time sounding genuinely regretful. He wasn't supposed to hurt her this much, he didn't realize his words had that great of an impact on her. He hated himself more than he hated Naraku at that given moment.

She shook her head… only able to shake her head as her silent crying wouldn't allow her to speak more than one syllable words, "No.." She begged weakly. "No.." she repeated brokenly. In all actuality, she was saying it to herself, warning herself not to fall into the same trap of living in an unattainable world.

Her body shook harder with suppressed sobs as she slowly collapsed against Inuyasha and they both slid to the carpeted floor. He buried his face against the crook of her neck as her head was bowed low, her bangs hiding her tear-stained face. He was somewhat glad he couldn't see her face, he didn't know if his heart could take it. She fell limp between his legs as she finally cried audibly, gripping onto his hands that were tightly grasped over hers. He intertwined their fingers together and held on even tighter than before.

He closed his eyes, taking in the scent of her neck as he held her small frame completely pressed up against his body. This was where _he needed her_ to be, this was where _he wanted_ to be. "Inuyasha.." She whimpered pathetically, but not questioningly. She just needed to know he was there.

He kissed her neck in a silent reply and it only caused her body to tremble even more violently from all her suppressed emotions. He simply held onto her and waited for her to calm down. And slowly, her breathing was evening out, her body steadying itself as her sobs subsided somewhat. The place was quiet as the only thing he could hear was his own thundering heartbeat. Never in his life had he ever felt so powerless, so scared of losing something – he finally understood what all those emotions meant.

He had fallen for his neighbor. Fallen for plain ole Kagome who couldn't be more perfect in his eyes.

"Why?" She had said it again so softly, so brokenly that he nearly missed it.

He wasn't sure what she meant, and where to start. But sadly before he even had the opportunity to comprehend the question, Kagome angrily tore away from his arms, pushing herself to a standing position before stumbling and backing up against the closed door.

He too stood up, although slowly, cautiously regarding her. Simply watching her with intense eyes. She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks again even as she futilely tried to seem unfazed.

"Why Inuyasha!?" Her shaky voice rising in anger, her right palm holding onto her forehead as she simultaneously tried to steady herself against the wall. "Why me?!" All her suppressed emotions were coming out now.

Yes, why her? Why was everything falling apart for her? What had she done to deserve all of this? Didn't anyone see that she couldn't possibly handle it – that no one in their right mind could handle all the hurdles thrown viciously in her way.

His eyes were pained, intensely pained. He had never seen Kagome so broken – always so blaze towards life – yet here she was, struggling to even speak.

With immense determination, he stalked towards her, grabbing her by her shoulders and fiercely pulled her against him. Desperately clinging to her anger, he pushed against his chest, refusing him from holding her.

"Kagome!" He demanded, like one would demand from an unwilling child.

"Get off me!" She cried, wildly struggling against his restraint.

"Kagome!" He forcefully pushed his body against hers, at that moment, not caring if he accidentally hurt her as he pushed her against the door, his body pressed firmly against hers, feeling the contours of her gentle frame. He roughly wrapped his arms around her frame as she pounded against his chest with her small fists.

"Get off me.." she cried weakly, her punches weakening by the second.

"I'm sorry.."

She didn't pull away, but she was violently tugging at his shirt as her head was tucked comfortably underneath his chin. Her voice was somewhat muffled as she tore at him, "Sorry doesn't cut it!" This time, hitting his chest with force, "Why me Inuyasha? Did I look like the pathetic little girl you thought you could toy around with? Were you laughing behind my back with all your girlfriends when I wasn't looking?" Another sob escaped her, "You played me for a fool Inuyasha, a fool!... and God, I just let you!" She shook her head at herself and repeated brokenly, "I just let you.."

She was going to tear away from him, but his reflexes were quick to react, tightening his hold on her and keeping her within his grasp. "I didn't mean it!"

She was able to push away slightly, but his hands were still clasped securely on her shoulders as her own hands moved to grab at the collar of his white shirt, "You didn't mean it?" She cried incredulously, "Which part didn't you mean?! The part where you lied to me, or the part where you literally tore my heart apart!?" His eyes widened at her unknowing confession whilst she was too caught up in the moment to realize her slip up.

"Say something! God, _please _just tell me you have some kind of explanation, _anything_!"

But he remained silent, still overwhelmed by the warm feeling of her confession.

Her cries were once again weakening, her eyes staring innocently up at him in all its bloodshot glory. She was silently begging him to ease her suffering, but he was speechless… like usual.

Before he knew what was happening, her body collapsed willing against his as she hid her head in the crook of his neck, all energy drained from all the emotional exertion. Her small hands continued to grab at his shirt whilst his arms once again encircled her body. She was still tugging on him, although gently and weakly now, whispering an honest confession, "I'll believe you…. just say anything.. _anything_… and I'll believe it.." she sniffed, truly showing how desperate she was for something to excuse his actions.

He finally spoke, his voice hoarse from the raging emotions, "Because you don't need this.." he sighed gently, albeit sadly.

"Need what?!" She cried in agitation, still feeling like she was being kept in the dark.

"Everything you witnessed tonight… it's not a place for you."

She was about to disagree before he interrupted her thoughts, "You were scared tonight.. weren't you?"

She paused, knowing the answer to his question, although she knew by replying would only prove his point. Her tone lost its anger, only speaking to justify herself, "I can adjust."

It was as good as saying, 'yes she was scared', and Inuyasha did nothing but hold her tighter.

"I can." She said softly, just resting her head against his firm chest now as her hands clung loosely to his waist – tired from arguing like this.

He kissed the top of her head, speaking against it, "I don't want you to."

Her heart fell. That was pretty much a gentle way of saying, 'you're not welcome in my life.' But she really didn't want to move away from the warmth, from these arms that provided her everything she ever really needed.. comfort, security and importance. She sighed, too tired to cry anymore. She was after all a nineteen year old, completely oblivious to the real world, whilst he, the twenty-five year old probably needed a woman… not a girl.

It was only fair.

She didn't get a chance to say anything as he broke her from her reverie, "It wasn't a dream."

She thought for a while what he was saying, but couldn't quite understand where the statement had come from. She looked at him, and as expected, he was already gazing down at her. Her confusion seeped clearly through her expression and he knew she was lost.

He didn't explain and simply reiterated his statement, "It wasn't a dream." His actions would make her understand.

His lips met hers passionately as he leaned down and swiftly captured them, his arms pulling her into his body. A tear escaped her left eye as she closed her eyes and simply reveled in the feeling of being his. She didn't want to think anymore, she just wanted to feel. Her arms wrapped itself around his neck as she started to feel a little light-headed from his ministrations. He slowly traced his tongue along her lower lip and immediately she opened her mouth, desperately allowing him entrance.

His tongue slipped in instantly as the kiss took on another level of intensity. He wasn't holding back anymore, allowing his need and want for her to consume his mind. His breathing became ragged as he pushed her against the wall, unable to think coherent thoughts as he continued to fervently ravage her mouth. His body was pressed right up against hers and she let out a little surprised gasp when she felt him grind against her. Surges of excitement and pleasure shot through her body as her eyes rolled back along with her head, temporarily breaking away from the kiss.

Inuyasha kissed her chin before making a trail of wet kisses along her jaw line as he fervently attacked her neck. An audible moan escaped her throat as he began sucking on her sensitive flesh. Her hands buried themselves in his silver locks as her breathing intensified. She knew she was seeing stars as Inuyasha possessively reclaimed her mouth. The rumble in his chest as he moaned loudly into her mouth sent shivers running rampantly up and down her spine. His hands were moving up and down her body, exploring places no other man had ever been. She felt nervous but at the same time excited.

He pulled away with much effort, but still kept his lips against hers as he spoke, lips brushing against lips, "I wanted you Kagome… I want you."

She finally understood now. It was not a dream. He had really kissed her back when he had taken her out of the hospital. Immediately she knew she needed him, without thinking, she tightened her hold on his neck and pressed her lips against his, in which he instantly accepted. He stumbled back a bit as she leaned all her weight on him.

His senses burned with desire, his body was consumed with pleasure and his mind was finally at peace. He pulled her body against his as they fell to the carpet, not one moment breaking the intense kiss. Smoothly, he flipped her over with ease as he leaned over her, breathing in her scent that was surely intoxicating his everything.

"Kagome.." He whispered against her neck as he started kissing down her collarbone towards her bare shoulders.

She simply moaned in reply as she felt his hand travel up the length of her thigh, reaching under her dress. Suddenly he stopped all that he was doing. She wanted to protest, but when she looked up, her breath was taken away from her.

His eyes held so much emotion. Regret, sorrow… serenity. His gaze was piercing into her soul and she welcomed it with open arms. He leaned down and softly kissed her lips, taking the time to suck gently on her bottom lip.

He pulled away and looked at her again, marveling at the beauty he saw within her. Finally she understood what he was doing… he was silently asking for permission. Without verbally replying to him, she leaned up and captured his lips as she placed her hand on top of his and moved it along her thigh. Her silent way of telling him she needed him as badly as he needed her.

His mind was once again consumed by the intense passion as he quickly deepened the kiss and grounded his body against hers.

Tonight they would form a bond that would forever be imprinted into their hearts. They would find their solace, their missing piece of the puzzle, and that little something that would cover the void in their souls…. But most importantly…

..they would find their white piece of paper.

_**888**_

**Doll secret**


	17. Just like a Soap Opera

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Just like a Soap Opera**

_**888**_

As Inuyasha lay in bed, he felt the subtle cold air hitting his naked torso. His eyes drifted shut once again, realizing it was only eight in the morning, and reveled in the memory and sensations of the events a mere four hours ago. A small smile graced his hard features as the euphoria of her petite body beneath his still burned freshly in his mind. He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes, just to make sure last night wasn't just a figment of his imagination. And just as he last found her, Kagome's naked body was held securely within his arms as her head lay against his chest.

He buried his nose in her dark raven locks and inhaled her vanilla scented shampoo. His right hand started tracing small circles on her bare back as he looked down at her. He felt stupid for acting like a lovesick teenager, but he still couldn't help the giddy smile growing on his face. Just the feeling of completeness and indescribable ecstasy was enough to put his mind at complete ease, not to mention the memory of her strangled cry of his name at her point of bliss. He almost blushed from the memory had he not been so suddenly aware of her soft naked form pressed so tightly against his equally nude body.

He rolled his eyes back and mentally groaned, knowing that his body was fast reacting to her once again. He was amazed at how he responded to her simplest and most innocent actions, but then again, that was what differentiated her from everyone else. For a moment, he allowed himself the guilty pleasure of running his hands along her body as he tried to imprint every curve into his memory.

Last night was truly nothing short of heavenly. She had been so shy, so inexperienced yet so willing to trust him. He had been slow and made sure to be gentle, constantly whispering against her lips if she was okay, that he could stop if she wanted him to – but even though she had whimpered, either in pain or nervousness, her eyes held onto its trust. He remembered how her skin glowed radiantly as it sparkled slightly in the moonlight from the perspiration and he recalled the immense euphoria the moment their bodies connected… the moment their souls connected. He had been patient in the beginning, content with simply waiting for her to adjust. It was at the point where he had heard her breath his name out sensually that he knew she needed him just as badly as he needed her.

Her body unknowingly shuddered slightly from the cold air as she snuggled further into Inuyasha. Without thinking, he pulled her towards him on instinct and wrapped the blanket around them more tightly. Never in his twenty-five years would he have imagined being graced with such an angel… who currently looked pretty rough with her unruly hair, slightly agape mouth and drool steadily making its way onto his shoulder… but nonetheless, an angel in a very deep disguise. He smirked, knowing he wouldn't want her any other way. He kissed the top of her head and tried to fall back asleep…. But that was before that little thing called his guilty conscience stirred inside once again.

_**'Last night was good wasn't it? She's almost as good as one of your little whores.'**_

_'Shut the fuck up-'_

_**'What's this? Do I sense that something has changed within you? Within us?'**_

_'You know shit all about Kagome – just leave us the hell alone!'_

_**'Got me there. I really don't know much about the girl… but I do know all about you.'**_

_'And I care because?'_

_**'You probably don't… that is, until the girl gets hurt – and I don't mean all that crying shit, I mean what people like Naraku is capable of doing.'**_

Inuyasha's blood froze, his muscles tensing as he tried to block out his inner voice. He cringed, as if in pain, and tried to focus his attention elsewhere… but it was in vain.

_'You don't know what you're talking about.'_

_**'She doesn't belong here-'**_

_'She belongs to me-'_

_**'She's still just a child at heart-'**_

_'And I love her for that-'_

_**'She's not our kind, she's rich, she won't handle what we-'**_

_'She's different! She told me she'd adapt!-'_

_**'And you're a fool if you're going to allow that!-'**_

_'I don't give a fuck! I don't care if I'm fucking selfish, I just want her to myself-'_

_**'She won't survive one day-'**_

_'She's stronger than you think-'_

_**'Strong enough to protect herself from Naraku?-**_

_'I'll protect her…'_

For a while, the voices stopped and Inuyasha's body finally relaxed. He let out a breath, he didn't even know he was holding, out and slumped against the bed. He thought he had beaten his own inner voice.. but that was until it said something that would haunt him until the end.

_**'And who is going to protect her from you…' **_

The voices this time finally did stop… and Inuyasha knew he was defeated. Anger and pain welled up inside him as he unknowingly pulled Kagome closer to him, burying his nose into her hair. He didn't want to let go, he really didn't want to… but his inner voice was right… Naraku shouldn't be the person she should fear the most…. He was. She should fear _him_ the most, after all, anyone should be scared of the person capable of inflicting the most pain, and without a doubt, Inuyasha would be the person capable of completely breaking Kagome.

It would be selfish of him to drag Kagome down with him, she didn't deserve any of this shit, she wouldn't survive it at the end… he wouldn't be able to protect her… she was better than all of this… he was only going to taint her… she would grow to hate him… he would grow to hate himself… he couldn't do it… he wouldn't….

He had decided. This was for the best.

He looked at Kagome's peaceful sleeping face and gently placed his lips firmly against hers. He would remember this feeling forever.

_'I'm sorry Kagome..'_

_**888  
**_

"Margaret dear, be a darling and fetch me a cup of coffee. Black. No sugar. Make it strong." Kouga spoke into his intercom before releasing the button and falling back against his leather chair, rubbing his temples.

The intercom buzzed with noise before a female voice spoke into it, "Okay! Will it be black, or with milk?"

Kouga paused in confusion, had he not just told her that he simply wanted his coffee black? "Uh black." He replied hesitantly.

"Ookay," she chirped, "and will it be no sugar or with sugar, and if with sugar, white sugar or brown sugar and how many teaspoons of sugar?"

"……………You know what Margaret, just get me tea." Kouga replied, hoping this would ease her simple mind.

"Ookay, will that be with milk, or no-"

"Just get me water Margaret, just get me water." He interrupted exasperatedly, making a mental note to check up on her credentials the moment he had some time to breath.

"Hot or cold?"

Kouga had to keep from screaming in agitation and forced a cheerful tone, "Surprise me dear."

"Okay!"

He let out an air of relief when his intercom conversation with his secretary finally came to its overdue end. What he would kill for a beer. Rubbing his temples in tiredness, he glanced over at the clock only to have it mockingly tick its slow seconds towards one in the afternoon. One in the goddamn afternoon and he already felt like he had run eight marathons and not slept for three nights.

He stiffened the moment he heard footsteps approaching his large office. Quickly he pretended to type away on his computer, hoping that he if acted busy, his secretary would leave him in peace. Without so much as a single knock, the two doors opened loudly as a set of foots walked in proudly. He kept his eyes focused on the screen, making an effort to ignore her. Geez, how long did it take for the girl to put his water down. He felt a hard stare piercing his entire being as the female figure simply stood there, and from his peripheral vision, with one hand on her right hip.

Odd. Margaret would never have such grace to stand as proudly as this woman.

Coming to the conclusion that this was in fact not Margaret, Kouga quickly shifted his eyes from the monitor screen to the female figure and his mouth nearly dropped open.

Standing in her Giorgio Armani glory, stood the ever graceful, the ever beautiful right hand woman of Mrs. Higurashi. The chief executive of the company.

Kouga almost leapt out of his chair and stood rigidly straight as though he was saluting the woman. "Miss Shashira, I had no idea you were back!" He quickly explained.

The woman smirked kindly and simply nodded, motioning for Kouga to sit back down, "At ease Kouga." She replied back in that smooth, calm yet authoritative voice of hers. "My arrival has been unannounced, of course you would've had no idea."

Her long black silky was pulled back into a loose, although professional, ponytail as her tight skirt and perfectly white business shirt wrapped perfectly around her curvy figure. She really was the epitome of beauty. Kouga took a mental note that this woman was not to be messed with as he realized that she was yet to smile… like a happy smile.

Kouga leaned back in his chair, the shock subsiding rapidly before asking curiously, "So what brings you into _my_ office?"

She regarded him for a while, silently and emotionless. Finally, she spoke, "Kouga, where is my cousin? Where is Kagome?"

Kikyo had returned.

_**888**_

"Ooookay." Miroku dragged our tiredly, "lets approach it _this_ way." He sat in front of the guilty Sango still dressed in her Elmo pajamas as he refused to let the previous night's event drop. He had dismissed her last night, but come twelve in the afternoon, he was pounding on her door. Having arrived without any warning, Sango was left confused and still sleep deprived.

"Tell me you were at the club last night because you simply couldn't bare the idea of being two hours without me." He asked in all seriousness.

"Miroku-" She fidgeted uncomfortably, having no idea how to explain herself.

"Yes?" he interrupted somewhat hotly. He was barely ever angry, let alone this angry – and she couldn't understand why.

She quickly closed her mouth, not daring to speak over him. She had to mentally smack herself as she couldn't help but notice how incredibly gorgeous Miroku looked when he was all serious.

"Just give me one good reason to legitimize why you are constantly at that club." He demanded calmly, somewhat kindly, although authoritatively. But still, she kept quiet.

He couldn't begin to express his frustration at the entire situation. His anger wasn't entirely aimed at Sango, but more at what everything had come to. Since when had their lives revolved so heavily around a scene that they should all be avoiding. He had continually told himself that so long as he was around, then it would be okay for Sango to be at the club, but last night, she had gone, even though she knew he would not be there to protect her. The place wasn't somewhere any of them should get comfortable being around, yet one by one, it had become their second home, and Miroku couldn't despise that any more.

Knowing and seeing her there alone had sparked a fear inside Miroku. Sango was undoubtedly a very beautiful woman, a beautiful woman vulnerable to the wicked and tainted minds of many men, a beautiful woman who had put herself in Naraku's bad books. She was no different to a piece of fresh meat amongst a cage of hungry lions.

"Sango.." he breathed exasperatedly, rarely exposing his burdened mind, "I know I don't have any control over your life, and I know you probably don't take me seriously… but, just listen to me this one time – that place is not for you… it's not even for me… but you're different, you have a choice whether to be there or not.. I don't."

Sango sighed sadly, genuinely sorry that she was adding onto Miroku's responsibilities. She understood the lecher had feelings for her, and she herself couldn't deny the blissful excitement every time she saw him, and so she understood that Miroku was angry because he was worried. She couldn't help but find some kind of happiness at that realization but at the same time, she still felt that familiar pang of guilt.

Perhaps it was time to let go of her past. To confide in Miroku the way he had confided in her – it would at least help him understand her desperate need to constantly be at that club. And it was important for him to understand because… because she had fallen in love with the stupid lecher. She sighed, life was tough, and cupid was downright harsh. Nonetheless, she was stuck with this loser whom she really couldn't think of anything she would exchange him for… but maybe a car… but the car had to be reallllly pretty to tempt her.

She chuckled bitterly, instantly capturing Miroku's attention, "I guess everyone has their secrets huh?" She asked quietly, rhetorically.

Miroku remained quiet, unsure of where she was going with this.

She looked him in the eyes, her deep brown orbs rampant with countless emotions… but one stood out the most. Pain.

"I don't know where to begin.." She spoke quietly, her confident façade suddenly missing.

Miroku reached out for her hand and held on tightly, silently offering his support.

She took a deep breath and began reluctantly, "Naraku… well I guess you can sort of say he's watched me grow up."

Miroku, although soundless, looked beyond shocked as his eyes betrayed his emotions, "Naraku?"

She nodded. Well at least it kind of made more sense how Naraku had recognized her at their 'first' meeting at the club. But still, it did not explain why she was always there.

"Wait," Miroku interjected, his observant and excellent memory serving him well, "That night, when Naraku was holding me by the neck, and you were there… he kept referring to a 'he'… who is 'he'?

Sango smiled sadly. Miroku really was very smart under all the carefree exterior. She squeezed his hand, needing the courage that he was unknowingly offering her, "Miroku, have you by any chance heard of a man named Kenji Aoki?"

Miroku frowned, unsure of how this was relevant but nodded nonetheless, "Of course I know him, who doesn't? He was the one who beat-" And suddenly he stopped what he was saying. The air almost knocked out of him.

Sango let a tear roll down her cheeks as she realized Miroku had quickly put two and two together.

"And I am Sango Aoki. _He _… is my father."

Fate really was a complex trickery based entirely to ruin lives and strive upon the sufferings of those who least deserved it. It was all just a vicious cycle, content in mocking those caught up in the harsh irony of what they had now adapted as reality. Kenji Aoki – who didn't know of him? He was the great who defeated the even greater… Inutaisho Takahashi. It was in that one night that had decided Inuyasha's fate. The night Inutaisho died in the tournament, the night Kenji Aoki announced his retirement… the night that everything crumbled before the small hanyou's very eyes.

Miroku shakily spoke up as he watched Sango silently sobbing, "Sango?... Do you know Inuyasha's family name?"

Sango hardly looked up, for she didn't care nor did she understand the relevance as she shook her head 'no'. She didn't know. She didn't know that it was in the same tournament that it was Inuyasha's father, the great Inutaisho who had died fighting for everything that he stood for. It was better this way. Surely enough her story was still incomplete, but Miroku let it drop, realizing that at this moment, they simply needed each other.

He quietly moved to sit next to her on the couch as she collapsed against him while he held on tightly.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. _'God help us all.' _

_**888**_

Kagome fidgeted slightly as she stared numbly at the television set running another soap opera. It was fast nearing six and the skies were drastically getting darker – and still, no sign of Inuyasha. He was no where in sight from the moment she had awoken in the morning and now, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and paranoid. What if he thought it was all just a mistake? What if he now saw her as no better than all those girls he had ever been with? Her heartbeat sped up from the slight panic, but she remained motionless as she waited… just as she had waited for the past seven hours.

No. She trusted him. His emotions and the way he had been so gentle reassured her that he was serious with her. That everything he had said was from the heart.

She almost giggled from the memories of last night as she finally understood why Inuyasha had always been so popular amongst the female population. Despite his handsome face and unique personality, his body was that of a perfectly hand sculpted artwork. Every touch he made had her shivering in excitement as his warmth and power brought on a wave of trust and security. The way he had looked at her, oh gods, the way he looked so intensely at her as they made love almost made her teary-eyed.

She blushed involuntarily as memories of the more specific details of last night bombarded her awareness. She had been inexperienced and somewhat held back, yet he was there constantly reassuring her and patiently allowing her to take things at her pace… not to mention his kisses, his kisses were enough to leave her breathless for days.

She shook her head, trying to cease her thoughts as she remembered that there was still the matter of him missing at hand. Where the hell could he be? And not even one phone call or note. She knew it was childish but she couldn't help but feel the hurt squeezing at her heart. Did last night mean nothing to him?

The sudden ringing of the phone had her jumping slightly from the shock. Even with the possibility that it might be Inuyasha calling back to check up on her, she wasn't sure whether she should pick up _his apartment _phone.

…. But then again, what if it _was_ Inuyasha?

Oh whatever, and with that, she lunged for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kagome we need to talk _now_."

"…Kikyo?"

_**888**_

_They were doing it again. Always screaming, always crying and always achieving nothing but further chipping away at their already fragile relationship. _

_"You know that's not what I meant." She sighed, trying to reason with her thirteen year old._

_"Then shed some light mom, what did you mean?" Her tone was defensive with poorly concealed anger._

_The beautiful woman took a deep breath as she tiredly held her head, "I just want you to consider it-"_

_"That's what you don't realize mom!" She truly felt like she was suffocating, like the urge to scream was being compressed and not fulfilled, "There is nothing to consider! Nothing!"_

_"Please sweetheart," Her calm voice shook, "Just once and it would make me and your father-"_

_"GOD! Jai is not my father! I will never call him dad no matter how much you want it to happen!" Enraged tears rolled down her cheeks. No she wasn't hurt or sad, but the fear in her that she was also beginning to resent her own mother was consuming her, "Finish your sentence mom," She said dauntingly, "were you gonna say that it would make you happy if I called him dad?"_

_Mrs. Higurashi remained quiet, afraid to further provoke her daughter._

_She laughed bitterly, "I don't believe this… I don't… You two are married aren't you? I accepted that! What more do you want from me?!"_

_"Kagome, I hardly ever see you smile anymore.."_

_"Is that my fault?-"_

_"-No of cour-"_

_"Is it my fault that my life is miserable? Is it my fault that I've failed to forget the man you seem to have so easily replaced?" She finally spat._

_"Ka-"_

_"I'm sorry mom.." Kagome suddenly said, shoulders slumped and completely drained of any energy, tears endlessly tracing her face, "I'm finding it harder and harder to look… to look at you."_

_She heard her mother gasp, but failed to look up, "You've become a constant reminder of… of your own betrayal…"_

_She couldn't believe she had just said those words. As much as she believed in them, she had sworn to herself that she would never reveal it to her mother. She would save her mother from the unwanted pain, yet here she was, confronting her as brutally as possible and yet, instead of guilt, she felt some kind of weight lifted off her shoulders. But she was forced into this position, just as her mother and Jai had forced her to grow up so quickly. _

_Now she looked up, her mother choking on silent sobs as her expression couldn't even begin to explain the heartache._

_"You lied mom," She said monotonously, "You told papa that you wouldn't let go… but you have… and it didn't take you very long."_

_"…I'm sorry.." Kagome whispered as she turned around to leave, never looking back for her mother to see her own pained expression and tears that no one ever acknowledge. Not anymore. _

_**888**_

Kagome walked slowly back to the apartment. For some reason she felt extra cold. Perhaps the heating system wasn't working for the entire floor… that or what she had just heard had shook her to her core. She shook her head as she was approaching Inuyasha's apartment, her new makeshift home, and told herself to stop over-thinking. She would simply wait things out and see how it all falls into place, because everything would be alright in the end right? Right?

Even she couldn't fool herself into believing that things would be okay. Things were never okay for her. So what if she had the money, she thought as she pushed the key into the hole and turned, so what if her mother owned an entire company, she never really ever found her happiness. But she had learnt to accept things, learnt to let things roll off her back and eventually she had somehow become slightly unfeeling and immune to emotional stress… that was until she met her temperamental neighbor. This wasn't to say that she was an introvert, unkind and cold – in fact the opposite, only she had learnt to never take much seriously.

She sighed as she opened the door, wondering if Inuyasha was back from wherever he had gone. Seriously, it had been hours now, if he wasn't home yet, she was calling the cops. And then suddenly…

"Yes, that feels real good.."

Kagome instantly froze as she heard a foreign female voice speak in its heavy Brazilian accent. Her eyes widened in confusion as she noticed a trail of clothing leading to Inuyasha's bedroom. More giggling. Cautiously, as Kagome bent down to retrieve some of the articles of clothing, she made her way towards his room, where the moaning and giggling only amplified.

Confusion struck her hard as she failed to put two and two together. What was going on here? Her heartbeat sped up as she was nearing the bedroom, curiously anticipating the events that were to unfold in a few seconds.

Taking in a deep breath, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned…

There on the bed… was Inuyasha, topless, on top of a beautiful Brazilian model with only her bra and underwear on.

"Inuyasha?"

_**888**_

**An: **Author's note will from now on be found on my profile page. Wanna keep these babies neat!

**Doll secret**


	18. Four makes them bigger

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Four makes them bigger**

_**888**_

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but his hanyou hearing was still able to detect the faint tremble and confusion seeped into that one dreadful word, "Inuyasha?"

Twisting his torso with ease, his amber orbs met her confused and perplexed eyes. Everything halted as Inuyasha soundlessly rolled off the model and huffed onto the other side of the bed. The Brazilian girl smiled embarrassingly as she attempted to cover her body with the bed covers, a faint blush adorning her sun-kissed skin.

For a while, no one spoke, and the model looked more and more uncomfortable by the second, but Kagome hardly cared. She was confused. What the hell was going on? Inuyasha wasn't even making a sound as he covered his eyes with his right bare arm and simply looked thoroughly drained, as though he had just run a marathon. Her heartbeat sped up as annoyance and anticipation was eating away at her nerves and she couldn't help but cast an evil eye at the model.

"Inuyasha," she tried again, her tone gentle with no anger or hurt whatsoever, "What is going on here?"

For a while, he still stayed motionless, praying that this wasn't really happening, but the incessant fidgeting next to him told him otherwise. He couldn't look at her, there was no way he could bare the hurt and betrayal in her eyes, so he opted to keep his arm shielding his eyes. Maybe if he played dead for long enough, she would just leave, maybe-

"Inuyasha, say something."

Maybe nothing.

Sighing out loud, he finally surrendered to the reality of the situation, "I'm sorry Kagome.." He sighed casually as he slowly sat up and looked at her with unkind, mocking eyes.

"Wha-"

"Last night was great, don't get me wrong, but nothing lasts forever right? We had fun, let's just leave it at that."

"But Inuya-" She tried interrupting.

He rubbed his eyes, suddenly very tired and exhausted, "Look, you're not the first girl to come along and think that you can change me. Trust me, I've had plenty over a dozen who thought likewise – But I'm sorry to havta break it to ya, no one changes overnight."

"No that's not-" She was trying to deny it, he knew it. Just stop Kagome, please just stop, he kept thinking.

"And even if someone _can_ change me, that someone isn't you."

Why was he doing this? She couldn't understand, what had she done for him to start acting so strange. Maybe she had said something to offend him perhaps? What was it? It was just so strange and wrong to see him act so unkind and heartless. She cast a glance at the model, and she seemed to look just as uncomfortable as Inuyasha, constantly flicking guilty looks up at the raven-haired girl.

He looked up at the petite girl, still standing there with a fierce, albeit confused look on her delicate features. He begged for her to just leave, to just end this stupid situation, but she kept her ground, staring simply at his nervous form. He wanted to yell, to cuss, to just scream at her to leave, because he wasn't a good person, because she would just taint herself if she associated herself with the likes of him.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked gruffly, his anger at himself seeping into his voice, "You've interrupted us you know…. Unless you want to join us." He tried sleazily.

She remained emotionless, unnerving Inuyasha even more. Why hadn't she broken down in desperate sobs yet, or better, why hadn't she starting physically abusing him yet, God knows he deserves it. At least that would ease the pain a little a bit… although he doubted anything could ease the feeling of dying…. Although Kagome always had a nack at surprising him.

"Is there something you don't understand?! Gees, what more do you want me to do, screw her right in front of you?! Just leave alright??" He felt himself dying just that little bit as more trash came out of his mouth.

Finally, after a while of pure silent hell, her gentle voice spoke up, but Inuyasha didn't dare meet her eyes as he felt her gaze penetrating his entire body.

"I'll leave…" she said, Inuyasha desperately wanting to scream 'No!' yet at the same time, relieved that this horrid nightmare was over, ".. when you answer my question."

His eyebrows creased inwards as he frowned at what she had just said, "What?" he asked, looking up at her indifferent expression. My God, he thought, maybe he had pushed her so far into insanity that now she was just void of all emotions, that had to be it!

"My question Inuyasha." She repeated innocently as though speaking to a four-year old child, "And that is, what is going on here?"

Inuyasha looked weirdly at her. Uh, had he not just extremely obviously implied that she was a mere fling to him, that she supposedly meant nothing to him? What more could a half naked chick in bed with him imply?!... she wasn't _that_ daft was she?

He was just about to say something, when she raised her right hand up holding… _three bras_..??

"I picked these up on my way to your room… " her voice held no arrogance, nor was she sporting any smug expression, instead she remained as curious as a child seeking an answer to a question.

He stopped breathing, and almost choked had his mouth not been stupidly agape, "I-uh..I"

"Either girls have started wearing four bras… or _you've_ acquired a taste for them."

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_ Was all that was coherently going through the hanyou's mind.

"Well you know those _crazy_ designers," he tried laughing forcefully, "always getting their models wearing four bras and… stuff." Why did he feel like such a moronic.. moron?

"Ohh." She raised an eyebrow, looking at the fidgeting Inuyasha as if he had just been caught with his hand deep down a cookie jar.

He was desperate, quickly running out of excuses, "Yes Angelina," He turned towards the model, "care to explain why you choose to wear _four damn bras_." He gritted the last three words out.

The model, referred to as Angelina, laughed awkwardly casting an apologetic glance at the hanyou, "Sorry." was all she could mumble as she quickly gathered her clothing and made a quick exit.

Growling and sighing all at once, Inuyasha fell back onto the bed, his arm was again covering his eyes before whining like a child, "You ended my playtime with Angelina." He had no idea why he felt the need to continue his charade when clearly, no one bought it. He was in so much of a hurried state to set the scene up, that he had overlooked the minor details such as the clothing they were throwing about the house to create the _illusion _of betrayal. How pathetic, he couldn't even fool her let alone protect her.

Throwing the bras carelessly on the carpet, she sat on the edge of the bed, still facing Inuyasha – who just so happen to sneak a peak at her before quickly covering his eyes again when he caught her giggling at him. "You're so stupid Inuyasha. At least explain." She sighed. She wasn't sure what to make of the scene just yet.

"Keh! Can you handle it?" He said, trying to restore his lost pride or hold onto whatever masculinity that was left in him… not much, he concluded, not much at all.

She day-dreamed casually out his balcony as she remained seated by the edge of his bed, "Just don't tell me this was your idea of keeping me away from, um.. you." She blushed lightly at the insinuation of her statement.

He removed his arm from his eyes, body frozen in semi fear as he looked at her side profile with a vulnerable expression, "Why not?"

Finally she turned to look at him again, a deadpan look plastered on her face, "Coz I think I might just shudder in nausea." And then a teasing smile broke out.

His silence and faint blush only served as a confirmation as he groaned, "It wasn't _my_ idea," and then mumbled sulkily to himself, "dumbass Pierre.."

Kagome nearly did a double take, trying to contain the bubbling laughter rising inside of her, "Did you just say Pi-"

"NO!" He interjected in a panicky voice, but he knew his cover was blown, judging from her silent giggling.

So perhaps Kagome wasn't the only one who had developed an addiction with soap operas. But hell would freeze over before Inuyasha ever admitted that he would secretly watch them on his cable TV every time he lamely blamed it on his "boredom".

They went quiet for a while, before Inuyasha started groaning again like a six-year old who had just been put on time-out. "My head hurts. I need a smoke."

"You smoke?!"

"No, but I need to start."

She rolled her eyes so hard she was sure for a brief second her iris actually touched her frontal lobe. "I'll get you some painkillers." She made a move to get up, but without her even noticing, Inuyasha had shifted position and was now upright completely facing her.

"Not strong enough." He very reluctantly reached for her hand and cautiously looked at her. "Come here." He gave her hand a gentle tug and offered a tired smile.

Blushing lightly, she awkwardly crawled into his lap as he enveloped her petite body with his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. This was wrong on so many levels, yet he could hardly contain the smile that was only growing on his face. This was the selfish route, but he couldn't give a shit anymore. For once in his life, he was going to do something for himself, something he wanted.

"Just so you know," He started, "I had NO intention of sleeping with Angelina."

A momentary silence followed before Kagome shook her head as she burst out laughing. For now, they would simply revel in the momentary comfort of each other, choosing to ignore the many questions left unanswered.

_**888**_

"Oh no you didn't.." Sango hissed threateningly, her eyes almost physically piercing Miroku's suddenly shaking body.

"Um, yes I did?" Miroku replied unsurely, not knowing what he had done wrong for the umpteenth time that morning.

She violently grabbed the rectangular box and thrust it in front of his face, all the while jabbing at the bright yellow cardboard, "What does it say here?"

He squinted momentarily to read the fine print on the box before reciting the words one by one, "For customer service, please call on-"

"Two eggs Miroku, the instructions says two damn eggs! And how many have you just put into the batter?" She asked, eerily composed, just like the calm before the storm.

"Um, six?"

"Six!" She declared loudly, "You put six eggs into my banana cake!"

"I thought it read six eggs and four blocks of butter – I thought this was a huge feed!" He tried defending, although his voice trembled slightly and increased by an octave.

"You put four blocks of butter?!" She almost screeched.

"NO!" Of course he did.

Dumping the box carelessly on the table top, Sango threw her hands up in the air, "Incompetence!" before grabbing a new packet of banana cake mix and started anew.

A little scared and a little hurt, Miroku slumped his shoulders and dipped his head, quietly mumbling to himself, "Pft, just trying to be generous… must be that time of the month."

"Run that by me again.." Her voice was low, but it was definitely dripping with venom.

His back straightened, suddenly very alert and quickly smiled at her, "Um, biscuits, cake and lunch?" He sweatdropped.

"Hmph, that's what I thought." And she returned to pouring the milk into the batter, their fourth attempt at making a cake that evening.

Sighing, he cleaned up the neglected batter of banana mix, six eggs and four blocks of butter. As he thought, he wondered whether spending an innocent morning over at Sango's apartment was worth all this cake baking. Smiling to himself, he knew he didn't even need an answer to that. For a good half hour, he had been on his best behaviour as he comforted the weeping Sango, whispering sweet nothings to her.

It was a while later when she had calmed down that she had explained her reasoning behind her frequent visits to this certain club. It was simple, but it was all the answer Miroku needed. She was there because she held onto the lingering hope that perhaps she would see her father there as well, after all, this club was where he spent a good chunk of his life around. Miroku couldn't help but sympathize with the girl, even pity her a little. Her hopes were as good as gone. It was a known thing amongst this business that the night of Kenji Aoki's victory over Inutaisho Takahashi, was also the night that he had retired, and not only that, it was also the same night people began noticing his drastic personality change. Kenji Aoki had lost himself, becoming an introvert and suddenly gone, never to be seen since.

Miroku glanced over at the beautiful, albeit _very_ moody, girl and smiled softly. For a while he would keep her happy, simply allowing each other to forget their sorrows, just the way she had eased his burden of drugging Inuyasha… but he knew she had her demons… just like everyone else had their own heart-wrenching secrets.

_**888**_

_"Kagome, I want you to move back home as soon as possible." Kikyo demanded kindly, although seriously and urgently. _

_The younger, more innocent, girl simply sat there, overwhelmed by her cousin's sudden presence and urgent demeanor. Kikyo was always so calm, so collected, yet here she was, thoroughly concerned for her wellbeing. She was touched, but she couldn't help the fear being planted into her mind. If Kikyo was like this, something was wrong. _

_Like usual, she hardly waited for a response from the younger of the two as she continued, "It's in your best interest to be around those who can protect you."_

_Kagome frowned slightly, "Protect me? From who?"_

_Kikyo looked monotonously at her, a calm expression and an elegant demeanor radiating from her, "Jai." She said simply._

_His name itself caused a cold shiver to run down Kagome's spine, and this did not go by unnoticed._

_Kikyo continued, acting as though she had not witnessed Kagome's sudden discomfort, "He's been released from his rehabilitation, mental asylum, whatever you want to call it."_

_Kagome merely flinched, but did nothing else to betray her emotions._

_Kikyo regarded her carefully, making sure the information wasn't too much for the young girl to handle, "Along with that," and this time, she sighed heavily, as though very burdened, "his restraining order has been lifted by the courts."_

_Kagome looked up at her cousin, her eyes suddenly crying out for help, her body frozen and her mind void of all emotions but the underlying guilt and fear. She didn't need to question how Kikyo had a hold of all these information; she had many powerful connections, simple as that, and that also explained her position in the hierarchy of the company. _

_"How?" Kagome questioned weakly._

_"Good behaviour and noticeable improvement in his mental state – though whether that is the truth is beyond the courts' jurisdiction."_

_Kagome could hardly believe what she was hearing, but it comforted her to know that Kikyo was back._

_"Kagome, it's best you come home."_

_"I can't." She replied quietly but determinedly, only meeting Kikyo's questioning look, "I don't know how to explain this, but just trust me this once, there's no safer place than where I am now."_

_Inuyasha._

_**888**_

Kids are so twisted these days.

That was the only coherent though in the great mind of Sesshomaru's as he blindly looked at his laptop screen. Where had the quiet, vulnerable and submissive children gone? Oh that's correct, they were in fairytales and bedtime stories and even occasionally in movies. But in real life, they were like mythical creatures, legends designed to trick adults into making them. Obedient and normal children, he concluded, were like Lepricorns. A myth.

"Would you like some tea Mr Whitefluff?" Rin asked happily, offering Sesshomaru a plastic pink tea cup, in which Sesshomaru simply feigned ignorance as he returned to his work. How he had been conned to accompany his adopted child into doing his work in her play room was completely and utterly beyond what he could decipher. So here he was sitting in a chair three sizes too small for him with a laptop positioned awkwardly on his lap as Rin poured imaginary tea for her "guests" – a worn out brown teddy bear, Dr Zeus, and her favorite stuffed white dog in which he was informed, represented him when he was at work and couldn't be with Rin.

"So how was your day Dr Zeus?" Rin asked the pile of twigs stuck together to form an ugly bunch of nothing in which Sesshomaru had said resembled Kagura.

The room was silent for a while, as if Rin was actually listening to what the pile of twigs was saying. A few seconds went by before the child gasped, "Oh that's horrible, here have some strawberry shortcake, I made it just for today's gathering."

Sesshomaru couldn't help but peek over his laptop to see how Rin would manage that when really, all that was in front of her was a bunch of…well… crap.

"Mm, the strawberry shortcake is lovely!" She chirped happily, pretending to munch on the imaginary cake she had cut with a knife she had conjured up with her vivid imagination.

Amazing. Sesshomaru thought. Children were just insane. He'd have to think twice about ever adopting again. When will the insanity stop?

"Would you really?" Rin asked her imaginary friends.

Were kids really supposed to be this weird? Sesshomaru couldn't help but wonder. Surely they wouldn't go as far as having conversations with the air.

"No, you ask!" Rin giggled.

Sesshomaru's sixth sense told him this wasn't good.

"No you!" Rin declared playfully again, before saying, "Okay okay, I'll ask him." And then with bright eyes, she turned to her papa, who quickly dodged her gaze and stared at his laptop.

This did not faze Rin in the slightest, "Mr Whitefluff, Mrs Potweed just wanted to know if we could play with your hair."

Okay! This was getting way too freaky for Sesshomaru. He'd have to eliminate her "friends" as soon as her back was turned, especially that _Dr Zeus _– that was some crazy shit. He'd take pleasure in feeding them to the dogs, or if he was lazy, just chucking them in the garbage. Perhaps he'd start buying her cars and trucks, at least these tea parties would cease to exist… although there _was_ the possibility of Rin acting like a car herself if she got caught up in the craze. The possibilities were endless!

"It's bedtime Rin." He finally spoke in his smooth voice that he usually used to mask his shuddering fear of his own adopted daughter.

Simply twisted.

_**888**_

"UNFAIR! I _AM_ A MODEL! JUST _LOOK_ AT MY BODY!" Amazing, Kagome thought silently, rolling her eyes so hard it hurt, he could now outright boast about himself as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG INUYASHA!" she spat, "LAST TIME I CHECKED, MODELS WERE GETTING PEDICURES! NOT FLY KICKING SOME MUSCLY STEROID-INDUCED MAN IN THE HEAD!"

Perhaps a moment of peace and tranquility was beyond what Inuyasha and Kagome were capable of achieving. At first it was a fairly civilized conversation, a question here, a nod there. Yet somehow, gradually and knowingly, it had evolved into a screaming match, as though time had shifted back to the stone ages, both acting fairly barbaric.

"Pft!" Inuyasha sulked, crossing his arms against his chest as he huffed back into the kitchen stool he was sitting on. For a grown man he abnormally sulked a great deal, "Is it _my_ fault I'm multi-talented?" he murmured quietly to himself.

Rubbing her temples with her right hand as her left hand continued stirring, she sighed moodily, "I thought we were going to be honest with each other, we're not really making any progress if you don't accept the fact that you're not a model!"

"Well the sooner you grasp onto the idea that I am a model…_of sorts_… the sooner we can get this damn conversation over and done with!"

She twisted her body away from the stove and frown weirdly at him, "Of sorts?"

Shifting his gaze away from her, he mumbled, "I represent Sesshomaru's fashion line…" Was he blushing?

They both fell quiet for a while as Inuyasha anxiously waited for some kind of response from her. God he could see his masculinity slipping through his freaking fingers. She must've wanted to laugh at him.

"Who's Sesshomaru?" She asked genuinely.

Inuyasha almost did an anime fall if he wasn't glaring so hard at the confused girl, "My bastard of a half-brother," he said through clenched teeth, "the one I told you about _ten minutes ago_… four times."

"Oh right right." She whispered to herself, completely unfazed by the pulsing vein against Inuyasha's temple as she turned back towards the stove, and then remembering that she was still angry at him, her temper flared again – knocking Inuyasha off guard as he jumped a bit, "Yeah well, why did you have to lie to me?! Why couldn't you have just told me the truth?!" She exclaimed hotly, jerkily pouring the hot content into a bowl.

Slamming a clenched fist against the kitchen counter, Inuyasha retorted, "Well it ain't exactly something I'd want to be screaming to every single person I meet!"

"Oh!" She glared at him, holding the white bowl firmly in her hands, "So I suppose I'm one of those insignificant people you meet!"

"No! I never said that!" His glare matching hers.

"Well the implication was there!" She accused, slamming the bowl in front of him, "Here! Your ramen!" She continued to yell, as though it was part of the argument.

"Thank-you!" He angrily cried back, violently digging his chopsticks into the hot noodles.

"Enjoy!"

"I will!"

She had turned back to the stove, ready to clean up the little mess she made before an angry voice interrupted her, "Be careful! It's hot!" Perhaps they were confused, because they were still yelling at each other when clearly, these words were meant for a more romantic atmosphere.

"I will!"

"Good then!"

It was so hideously obvious that they cared deeply for each other, yet they chose to reveal these emotions in such… weird ways. Ah, young love.

Noisily slamming the saucepan into the sink and viciously scrubbing at it, Inuyasha decided it would be the wiser option to open his mouth. Men, when will they learn?

"Yeah well what about you?!" He accused hotly, "What were you doing at the club all dolled up?! Trying to find yourself a boy toy?" he taunted, fumingly jealous.

Turning to face him, although her hands were still on autopilot as she scrubbed the saucepan, she spat, "So what if I was, it's a free world!" She nearly cringed at her weak reply. How lame.

The chopsticks almost snapped in two as the hanyou slammed his fist again on the counter top, his back straightening in alert. "I forbid you!!"

Finishing with the saucepan, she aggressively wiped her hands with a towel before she stomped her way to the stool next to Inuyasha, sitting down with a loud huff. Her back hunched over, her arms dangling awkwardly in front of her and she pouted and glared at the insanely handsome hanyou sitting next to her with a pair of worn out grey sweatpants hanging loosely around his pelvis and a wife beater.

Swirling his noodles in a tight bunch, he turned towards the still glaring Kagome and grumpily said, "Open."

Knowing exactly what he meant, she continued to keep her same expression as she opened her mouth.

And then he fed her some of his ramen.

_**888**_

**D.secret**


	19. Like full brother, like half brother

**Love thy Neighbor**

**Like full-brother, like half-brother**

_**888**_

The sound of the clock ticking its seconds towards eleven at night seemed to echo in the tension-filled air confined in that one apartment. Kagome refrained from fidgeting on the couch, fearing the noise that she would make would undoubtedly amplify, and the last thing she needed was another excuse to start an additional pointless fight.

She would have sighed and pondered on the reason why her life had suddenly become so hectic, but at this point, she was beyond reasonable – far beyond reasonable… she was pissed, and so was Inuyasha. A string of curses were heard as he hid himself in his room, whining like a little boy as Kagome glared fiercely at the screen before her. She could barely concentrate on anything other than the emotions coursing in her body. Her small fists clenched into the couch, but she remained fixated on the TV, anticipating yet dreading another confrontation with the hanyou.

For two days they had attempted to approach the two main topics that constantly served as a wedge between their "relationship". Before ever getting far at all, the topics, however, would be dropped and the two would hardly even look at each other, silently hurt and annoyed that they would rather keep their secrets to themselves. They had barely spoken to one another and hardly had any physical contact, yet other than the uncomfortable silence, the atmosphere was bearable… that was until tonight.

Kagome was at breaking point, and Inuyasha knew it – but he did nothing to soothe her, as he too was psychologically tortured by the realization of what he was putting the girl through. She had protested to him, that if he had any faith in her, he would tell her, but he had only retaliated with a single indignant cry of 'Hypocrite!' and argued that she too, was keeping her secrets to herself. And like the way it usually ended, thoroughly hurt and drained, they avoided each other, even though Inuyasha was silently begging to hold her in his arms at night.

Kagome sat there, now completely emotionless as she watched the clock tick its seconds towards the inevitable, mocking her in all its fucking glory. Swallowing hard, she felt the stinging sensation building up in her eyes, but was determined to not let a single one drop. Beyond the anger and the hurt, she was worried, and scared… really scared. She wanted to scream, to cry, to even physically hurt something – anything that would put her mental torment to a halt. But she knew everything was hopeless… she was hopeless – if she couldn't even handle the pressure now, how would she survive the damn night, and that was when the worse type of fear struck her.

Before her face betrayed her feelings, she heard and felt the door to Inuyasha's room almost rip open as he stalked out of his room angrily. The time was now. Completely tensed, she remained motionless as she waited in baited breath for what her hanyou would do, and sadly, much to her distraught, he wasn't even going to acknowledge her as she heard him pick his jacket up and move towards the apartment door. Whilst she knew he had no right to treat her so unfairly, she just didn't care anymore. She just didn't want him to be angry at her, so sucking up all her dignity and stubbornness, she called out for him, though very quietly.

"Inuyasha." He didn't even turn around as she was forced to stare at his back as she stood up to speak.

His back was rigid and she could tell he was anticipating her every word, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. "I," she started, before shaking her head and recomposing herself, "You,", closing her eyes in annoyance at the difficulty of expressing herself, she tried again, "Just-"

"What!" He didn't mean for the word to come out so harshly, but the constant mental torture was taking a toll on him. He winced.

Her eyes pained at his tone, her confidence completely deflated as she shook her head, deciding to just speak her heart out, "Be safe." She whispered conclusively and turned around, knowing she needed rest to put her mind at ease, and knowing if she heard him speak in that same tone again, she might just fall apart.

She barely made it three steps away when she felt a gentle tug at her wrist. Her heart almost floated knowing exactly who was holding her back. Turning around without hesitation, she looked into his gentle eyes that simultaneously held onto its fiery passion, and this was all for her. For a moment, they simply looked at each other, getting reacquainted with the peace that seemed to surround them momentarily. Slowly, Inuyasha's head dipped in sorrow as he gently pulled Kagome into a heartfelt embrace. Breathing in her scent, he calmly whispered an apology, in which Kagome simply accepted by holding on tighter.

"Be safe." She begged once again.

Inuyasha's sensitive hearing did not miss the slight tremble in her voice and immediately he regretted and hated himself for doing this to her. To push her into a state of anxiety because tonight, he would be fighting in the semi-finals. He held onto her fiercely, silently begging her to understand.

She continued, "I don't need to know anymore, I'm sorry Inuyasha, please.." She wasn't sure what she was saying, she only knew she felt desperate and scared.

His heart pained at hearing her so vulnerable, but he kept quiet, fearing his voice would fail him.

"I don't care why you feel the need to fight, I don't mind.. it doesn't matter anymore, it doesn't matter that you can't tell me, but please…"

Her body was trembling against his as he tried to hold her even tighter to calm her.

"Oh God.." She choked out, finally letting the built up frustration and fear consume her entirety.

Her cheek rested on his broad shoulder as she felt him bury his face into the crook of her neck, placing loving kisses all over, silently reassuring and comforting her in his own way. Her eyes glazed over in pain, tears endlessly falling from them as she closed her eyes and prayed for his safety. This new world scared her too much, and as much as she was trying to adapt to his world, she was having difficulty accepting these fights that she knew could very well cost him his life.

Steadying her voice, she said the one thing her heart so desired, "Come back to me."

He paused in his kisses and pulled away from her, enough to look into her eyes, though his arms remained securely wrapped around her body.

"You have to come back to me, if you don't, I will hate you Inuyasha." Her voice was completely serious and her eyes extremely determined, "I will hate you with every ounce of fiber in me do you understand?" She asked calmly, although the endless tears spoke of her pain… and love.

Framing her face with his hands, he closed his eyes and gently kissed her forehead, as she too, allowed her lids to drop. Not once removing his lips from the smooth surface of her forehead, he spoke against it, "I want a bowl of ramen ready for me when I get back, I also want you in my bed, happily asleep… I want to hold you tonight, can you promise me that?"

Smiling a bittersweet smile, she replied, "Only if you can promise me that you'll return to me."

He smirked, "Well then you better make sure it's beef flavored ramen sweetheart, I'll come back, I promise."

"Okay," She spoke gently, "Then I promise too."

He knew it was immoral, but by God, if he had to kill the guy in this fight to get back to Kagome, then so be it, he would do anything to keep his end of the bargain.

_**888**_

"You're not honestly going to sit at home tonight are you?" Kagura placed her right hand on her hip, striking her signature pose.

Sesshomaru flicked his gaze away from his 'solitaire' game on his computer for a brief second, before nonchalantly asking, "Maybe, who's asking?"

She rolled her eyes, "Me." She replied flatly.

He had to refrain from asking her how and when the hell had she entered his house, but decided against it as he clicked madly at his mouse, deciding he didn't really care, "In that case, yes."

Kagura had to physically keep herself from strangling the man and risk losing her job as she breathed deeply to calm her frustrated nerves. "Inuyasha's fighting in the semi-finals tonight." She tried to reason with him. She just knew she was aging at twice the rate of a normal woman because of this insufferable man, this insufferable handsome _handsome_ man!

"Mmm." He hummed, still focusing on the game in front of him.

"And Naraku will be there tonight." She elaborated, as though talking to a child.

"And?" Perhaps she would leave on her own accord if she was ignored long enough – but then again, she never did really get the clue. Thankfully he was able to see the humor in infuriating the beauty. He was understanding like that. But for reasons beyond him, Kagura never seemed to like his psychological taunting. Weird.

"And," She mocked, suppressing the rage inside of her, "We have to keep an eye on him, or have you forgotten about that already?"

"I'd rather not. The man's putrid to look at." He continued playing, without once looking at Kagura.

Breathing in calmly again and closing her eyes for an added effect, she rubbed her temples, "It's not like I'm asking you to check him out – in fact," She rose her arms up in frustration, "I don't even know why I'm bothering! This is for _your_ father, not mine."

Seeming completely unfazed, he shrugged, "Still." He retorted lamely. Was it really too much to ask for to have a moment's of peace playing a game of solitaire… or forty-six games of solitaire?

"So you're definitely not going." It was more like a flat statement rather than a question.

"Yes." He replied solidly.

"Even though this is for _your own_ father."

"……………………………………….yes." He replied…. not so solidly. He concluded then and there that Kagura was a witch, an evil, manipulative, calculative and psychotic witch! Trying to play the guilt card on him! Shame.

Before she was able to tell him what a disgrace of a son he was, a little figure dressed in her jumpsuit chicken pajamas barged into the room. Kagura was shocked, to say the least, that Rin was still up at this hour, but one again realizing that _Sesshomaru_ was her legal guardian, it suddenly didn't seem all that unexpected. Casting a quick glance at her boss, she realized, with a mental roll of her eyes, that Sesshomaru didn't even seem the slightest bit fazed, just like he was with everything else. Perhaps that was what made him so good… yet so damn annoying all at the same time.

She wondered silently whether the younger brother, above all the collected façade, the undefeatable demeanor and the suave antics, as child-like as Sesshomaru. But then again, she was better off not knowing.

"Papa.." She said in her quiet voice, clinging tightly to her toy doggy.

"Mmm?" He hummed, sparing her a longer glance than Kagura, but remained concentrated on the game, hardly realizing that Rin should be well and truly asleep at this hour.

She fidgeted on her spot, slightly embarrassed that Kagura was also in the room to hear her heartfelt confession, "I couldn't sleep… can you sing to me?"

It was no longer an assumption, but instead, a fact that this Sesshomaru had finally met his match. He got up from his seat and grabbed the jacket draped over his chair, "I'll drive."

Kagura finally realized his weak point, and boy was it a force to be reckoned with. Rin.

_**888**_

"Oh gross." Sesshomaru sighed as he rolled his eyes skyward and let out an involuntary shudder. He made an attempt to turn back around until he felt a determined hand none too gently push him into the VIP spectator's box.

"It's this or singing." Kagura hissed quietly, smiling subtly at those around them sipping on their champagne, "It's your choice."

Continuing the rest of his way into the large glass room, his head hung lower than his usual confident facade, he constantly reminded himself to avoid any possible contact with Naraku. He knew, without a doubt, tonight would be a long and pointless night. Other than having to force himself to remain in the vicinity of Naraku, he was now coerced into watching his half-brother fight a fight he was already guaranteed to win. And if he did not win, then Naraku would simply kill his opponent and Inuyasha would once again go through by default. How fucking trivial.

He was definitely going to need some alcohol to push him through the night. Gracefully making his way further into the room and sitting himself somewhere unnoticed, he simply hoped to be as invisible as Kagura was to him. Speaking of which, was now in a deep conversation with some fat bald men, although with his trained eyes, he was able to detect, with mirth, that she was struggling to keep her pleasant charade up. Unbeknown to everyone in the room, Sesshomaru was silently cheering for Kagura to break – call it whatever you want, but it was _so not_ revenge on his account for being forced here!

His eyes glazed over, vaguely aware that Naraku was just as keen to avoid him as he had made no move to acknowledge the CEO – much to Sesshomaru's relief. Perhaps Kagura was right, maybe Naraku _did_ hold some kind of fear for Sesshomaru. He was about to reach for the glass of wine one of the girls were offering but stopped mid-way when he noticed Kagura walking over. Dropping his hand in disappointment he stood up as soon as said woman arrived.

Raising a delicate eyebrow, she gave him a questioning look, "Are you going somewhere?"

Walking past her, he sighed, "Yes."

Following him as he continued without pause, she asked skeptically, "You're not going back home are you?"

Before she received her reply, another man approached her and greeted her as though they had been long time friends. Taking this momentary opportunity of distraction, he hastily made his getaway.

He hated this place. People were so weird and anyone who could love his brother as much as three quarters of them did was simply unhealthy. Was he really getting too old for this? No! He refused to think that way! He told himself it was purely because of the weather, yeah, the weather had to be it! Walking leisurely away from the large frenzy crowd, he realized too late he had made his way outside of Inuyasha's locker room, and said man was staring at him with a bored look. For a moment, their indifferent, monotonous and dull look made them almost identical.

Well at least if he sat in here, he wouldn't have to deal with Naraku and Kagura and the crazy half-naked people… _although_ there _was_ Inuyasha here. Dilemma.

But before he concluded his decision, Inuyasha spoke up.

"You know, I'm going to make it to the finals no matter the outcome." He spoke, somewhat solemnly.

Pausing for a brief second, Sesshomaru decided to sit on the bench across from the figure whose body was leaned back against the back of the bench as his head tilted upwards.

"_Something_ has to compensate for his greasy hair." Sesshomaru shrugged, implying Naraku's incompetence as a… well whatever the hell he was.

Smirking, he realized he was correct in his assumption that, if anyone were to know the works of Naraku's mind, it'd be the bastard sitting in front of him. "He'd just finish the guy off if I _did_ lose, I'd be in the finals either way.. unless.." he trailed off, thinking of a certain raven-haired girl waiting for his return.

"You died." Sesshomaru finished off for him, and then added, "We could only hope."

"Bastard."

"And you're suicidal."

Inuyasha froze in fear for a second, before immediately reacting to his provocation, "You're fucking delusional. What the hell are you doing here anyways? So much for thinking you're too high and mighty for this."

"I'd rather not think about it."

For a while, they chose to keep quiet, neither breaking the comfortable silence as they hardly acknowledged each other. It was kind of unnerving that they were capable of holding a civilized conversation, but maybe it was simply because Sesshomaru just wanted to sleep and Inuyasha just wanted to go home.

It must've been at least ten minutes before the elder of the two decided to break the silence, "You don't want to fight anymore." It was a flat statement that left no room for argument.

Inuyasha instantly tensed, his brother realizing this before he even came to terms with it. It struck a nerve and released a tonne of emotions. For the first time, Inuyasha was scared. Scared of losing, scared of death. He didn't want to go through with his plan anymore, not now when he had so much to lose. Not now when he finally found a reason to live. Kagome. Now he truly wished his plan to drive her away had worked, because now, the end result of this whole thing would simply break her.. entirely.

"Keh! What would you know?" He tried to deny it, albeit weakly.

Sesshomaru looked at him, and Inuyasha for the first time upon his brother's arrival, returned his stare, "You have that same look father had when he wanted to end his fighting career, only, it was too late for him."

Finally Sesshomaru got up to leave, knowing that the tournament was going to start in less than ten minutes. Without so much as pausing, and not really caring if he heard or not, he spoke, "Don't be a fool Inuyasha."

_**888**_

"You fool!" Hardly ever did Kikyo lose her composure, but now, she was struggling to keep her curses at bay.

Her secretary fumbled with excuses as she followed desperately after Kikyo, who in turn was stalking into her office as the first signs of panic was starting to surface. Making no move to acknowledge her secretary, who looked genuinely sorry and on the verge of a mental breakdown, Kikyo pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed in slowly as she ordered a simple, "Get out."

Her secretary, after the order, dared not speak another word as she walked out visibly shaken. Kikyo did not care if she seemed like the biggest monster in the world, she hated incompetence and she despised stupidity, and that was exactly what her secretary epitomized. She leaned back in her leather chair, trying to organize her thoughts and comprehend the situation brought before her, courtesy of her dimwitted secretary. One thing was for sure though, this girl wouldn't live to see another day working for her.

According to her soon to be ex-secretary, a man dressed like a respectable businessman had requested on Souta's behalf for his sister's address. The stupidity in this entire situation made Kikyo cringe. Firstly, the nerve of the girl to have so easily fallen for such excuse without further questioning and without even asking permission, and secondly, how had it not occurred to the girl that of all people, Kagome's own brother would know where she lived. She had to refrain from firing the girl this very moment, only because she had other things to attend to, for starters – how to keep Jai away from Kagome.

She had meetings upon meeting today, and though the day was still young, she knew she was treading on thin ice. It was also to her knowledge that Kagome was not living alone, and that thought comforted her and bought her time. So many questions left unanswered though, and Kikyo hated this feeling of unknowingness. It appeared that Mrs Higurashi herself had no idea of Jai's wellbeing, meaning, he had not made himself known to his ex-wife – yet he had already made so many attempts with Kagome.

Knowing Jai, he probably wouldn't do anything until night fall, and by then, Kikyo would've figured something out… she prayed.

Little did she know, that this time, Kagome was beyond her help.

_**888**_

Kouga's car sped through the streets, racing past countless red lights and scarcely dodging pedestrians. His face was determined, but his body was tense, even nervous, as he tried to tell himself he was overreacting… yet something about Kikyo's tone told him he was anything but overreacting. She sounded drained, tired and even a little disappointed. He couldn't blame her, she had tried to locate Jai, only to realize she had been chasing the wind, and now, without a back-up plan, they realized too late that their inability to get to Jai first had well and truly put Kagome's wellbeing at risk.

"Dammit! Pick up the phone!" Kouga cried to no one in particular, as he tore his phone from his ears and re-dialed Kagome's apartment phone number.

He was once again greeted with the dialing tone before that generic computerized voice informed him that he could not get through. "Shit!" He cursed, throwing his phone to the passenger's seat in a moment of annoyance. Gripping both hands on his steering wheel, he applied more pressure on the accelerator. He was getting closer to his destination; he could see her apartment building coming into view.

It frustrated him to no end when Kikyo disallowed him to inform the cops. She had said they would do nothing but alarm Jai and further tip his already unstable mind, because by law, Jai had yet to do something incriminating. He gripped his wheel tighter, swerving into the parking lot. He understood her point, but it didn't mean it sat well with him. By the time he did anything incriminating, it would've already been too late. Fuck!

Ripping off his seatbelt, he strode past the reception area and pushed madly at the elevator button, silently chanting to himself that he was simply overreacting. The doors to the elevator seemed to open in slow motion as Kouga had to physically force himself to bite back a curse word, even though no one was around to hear him. Failing to remain still in the elevator, he breathed in deeply as he continued to fidget on the spot. Nothing at this point seemed to calm him, and the fact that he was getting so close to his destination yet not close enough was putting him on edge.

At long last the elevator reached her floor, and without further ado, Kouga actually ran down the hallway, unable to suppress his worry any longer. His eyes were fixated on her apartment door as he ran, but the slightly agape door opposite from her apartment diverted his attention entirely. He recalled, in that instant, that insignificant confrontation he had with Kagome's male neighbor, and how according to him, Kagome was over at his apartment… could it be that no one picked up the phone at her apartment because… he had been calling the wrong place?

He stopped right outside the door, now extremely reluctant to look inside the already open apartment. Slowly pushing the door further back, he hesitantly and cautiously called out her name, only to be met with silence. His nose picked up on the bowl of spilt ramen on the kitchen counter… and the gentle lingering smell of Kagome's scent.

"Kagome!" His voice shook slightly this time, but he continued on with his collected demeanor.

No reply.

Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps hurriedly making its way towards the apartment. His body tensed as he listened to the footsteps grow in volume until finally they came right at the doorway where they halted.

Inuyasha's golden orbs looked on in confusion at the man standing in his apartment. What the fuck was going on here!? He wanted to yell. For fuck sake's! He was half alive after that fight, and now there was some weirdo in his apartment, just fucking great. Just as he was about to let the guy have it, the mystery man turned around to face him, and instantly he remembered him to be the man in Kagome's apartment once upon a time.

Inuyasha's face suddenly drained of any color as he noticed the regretful look on this once proud wolf. No smart remarks, no witty insults, just a slumped body and a pained look.

Finally Kouga's head bowed in defeat. "I'm sorry."

And then, Inuyasha noticed his bowl of beef ramen spilt across the kitchen counter… and the remnants of what should have been a strong scent of Kagome's.

He kept his promise.

She could not.

_**888**_

**D.secret**


	20. The Show goes on

**Love thy Neighbor**

**The Show goes on**

_**888**_

He hardly noticed the stinging sensation in his eyes as he slammed his intruder's body harshly against the wall, his body trembling violently as he struggled to pacify his crumbling composure. He so wanted desperately to speak, but every time he was about to vocalize something, he felt that sickening thickness getting caught in his throat. Growing frustrated at his inability to speak, his face grew fierce as he took his anger out on Kouga, again slamming his somewhat limp body against the wall.

He knew, against his own control, the fear was consuming him as he felt his eyes grow hot with unshed tears. His eyes were anguished and against his own physical will, an angry sob broke free. When he finally forced himself to speak, it was low and deadly, "Where is she?" His tone left absolutely no room for any bullshit, articulating each word with force.

Ignoring the threatening position he was in, Kouga wiped his hand down his face and replied monotonously, "I told you already, I don't know where-"

Another shove against the wall, and a more irate tone, "I'm talking about this Kikyo girl you mentioned! Where the fuck is she? Because so help me God, if you do not tell me now, I can kill you in eight different ways that would leave you silent and dead before you even hit the floor." For some reason, Kouga did not doubt his words, although he was hardly fazed by the threat.

He knew Kikyo wouldn't appreciate this, and he knew he'd probably be wrung up by his privates AND THEN lose his job… but at the same time, despite the threatening mental image of his family jewels, logic told him that his life was probably a little more at risk. So not fancying the idea of getting killed by the man holding him captive against the wall, he relented with a defeated sigh, "I'll take you there, it'll be faster that way." And besides, Kagome was worth this.

"No. I'll drive. I don't trust you." Contrary to what he was saying, his grip on Kouga's collar was gradually loosening, but his skeptical gaze did not falter.

Kouga simply sighed, "Whatever, now if you don't mind, as much as my back is getting used to the stabbing pains the corner of your drawer is giving me-"

"Shut up!" He hissed harshly, shoving Kouga one last time against his wall as he released him and turned around, not appreciating his sarcasm. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bowl of ramen spilt over the counter, completely unable to register a single word Kouga was saying. He didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to hear anything anymore other than the familiar whining of a certain teenage girl's voice.

"This Kikyo," Inuyasha spoke monotonously, his face void of any emotions, his eyes stilled on the bowl of ramen, "How much does she know?"

Kouga simply shrugged. The indifference in his demeanor confused him to no end. His mind and soul were in a state of panic, frenzy even, but he seemed oddly defeated… could it be some kind of foreboding expectation of what would be the likely outcome of his dear friend? No, he couldn't think that way. Glancing up at the back of the hanyou, he realized he had yet to answer the question. "Like I told you, I don't know how much she knows. All I know, is that she knows more than what I know."

It took a while, but gradually, Inuyasha reverted from his reverie and turned to glare skeptically at the wolf, in which Kouga was sure he was getting the 'you are so fucken retarded' look.

"How does she know so much?" Inuyasha asked, making his way towards the door and not bothering to inform Kouga that he was leaving.

"Cousin." He stated simply, following the hanyou with his fists buried into his trouser pockets.

Inuyasha didn't make an effort to turn around as he continued his interrogation, "Yours?"

"No. Kagome's." And then, against his better judgment, he decided to add, "For someone who seems so concerned about Kagome's whereabouts, you certainly know jack shit." It wasn't a taunt, just an observational statement… that lacked poorly in timing.

Turning around so quick that he nearly got whiplash, Inuyasha almost forgot about the situation at hand as the familiar male possessiveness was quickly dominating his senses… reducing the two men into a series of childish bickering, although thankfully they never stopped walking – both subconsciously anxious of the problem at hand.

"Well then," Inuyasha hissed dangerously, taking the statement offensively, "who the fuck are you?"

"Someone who's known Kagome long enough to know everything an intimate friend would need to know." He implied suggestively, although in actuality, they had been no more than childhood friends, but what Kouga truly felt was beyond anyone's awareness.

Inuyasha silently chanted to himself that for the time being, he would spare the wolf some pain, but after he was done using him, Kouga could say goodbye to his most prized. Oh the possibilities of inflicting pain on the man walking behind him were endless, and so damn comforting.

"Keh!" Inuyasha smirked cockily, although his insides were still boiling over Kouga's answer, "She wasn't exactly screaming your name last night." He wasn't lying, last night Kagome had screamed _his _name… in the midst of their heated argument.. but Kouga didn't need to know the precise context.

Finally, Kouga felt himself getting riled up by that bastard of a hanyou, "What the hell did you just say?!" His glared dangerously at the back of Inuyasha's head.

"I said Kagome's mine so stay the fuck away!" He yelled possessively, a little whine in his voice.

"You're fucking dreaming!" By now, half the residents of the building complex had probably awoken from what they could only assume as two foul-mouthed teenagers bickering.

"No! _You're_ fucking dreaming!"

For a lack of creative response, Kouga opted for the universal retort, "Yeah well, fuck you!"

"Not in a million fucking years you disgusting wolf, I aim straight!" And just for an added effect, Inuyasha decided it was necessary at that point for him to thrust his finger forward to reinforce his point that he _'aimed straight_.'

Kouga's face grew warm in agitation, "I'm not gay!"

Inuyasha's arms were half-heartedly thrown into the air, "Well thank the fucking heavens," He praised sarcastically, "'coz I wasn't interested if that was what you were hoping to imply!"

"For someone who claims they're not gay yet refuses to let this topic drop, you're making me think that you have something to hide." For a second, Kouga held onto the hope that he had actually outwitted Inuyasha… but that only lasted a tenth of a second before his hope was crushed.

"See! Another sexual innuendo aimed at me!"

"Look, if you're so intent on continuing this conversation, then just go hump a tree!"

"Fuck you and fuck off! Why the hell are you following me?!"

For a moment, it felt good to have released some of their pent up anxiety that in the momentary lapse of maturity, Inuyasha's mind forgot about the issue brought before him, although his heart never faltered in urging him towards Kagome.

Kouga rolled his eyes, wondering just what he had done wrong to have faced this wrath – otherwise known as Inuyasha. "To take you to Kikyo you ingrate piece of dog shit! Or have you forgotten?" _Just keep breathing Kouga, just keep breathing. _

"Hardly!" _Just breath Inuyasha, just breath. _

It would require every ounce of willpower, every fiber of determination, every second of strength and every moment of patience to get through this. The light at the end of the tunnel may seem dim at times, and the rivers and mountains may seem too wide and high to cross. There will be times when all would seem in vain, all hopes lost, and the world is all but an empty darkness of nothing… but this is what it all came down to, for the two to simply stand within ten feet of each other, for half an hour in Kikyo's apartment… doom's day was approaching.

_**888**_

"Watch your step when you walk up these stairs, they're not as sturdy as they look." He chuckled quietly at his poor attempt at a joke.

The quiet scattering of what could only be assumed as rats and cockroaches littered the dimly lit hallway. The wooden flooring looked worn out and the stairs didn't seem like it could uphold itself if anything more than a child were to climb them. The place carried various odors, none which were pleasant to the nose and the lack of ventilation made the residence suffocating.

Kagome climbed the stairs warily, tired and scared. She barely spoke from the time she had opened the door for him, mistaking the knocking to be Inuyasha's, till now, being led to a destination he said was a 'surprise' for her. The moment the door was opened to reveal him standing there, his face plastered with that same smile, Kagome's heart almost froze in fear, though she never protested. Her first reaction had been her backing away from him, and like his usual oblivious self, he barely acknowledged Kagome spilling the bowl of ramen as he asked to take her on a little 'surprise.'

She did not speak as she merely nodded numbly, fearing provocation of any sort. She was powerless against him, and the moment he stood at the doorway, she knew she was cornered – no options, no alternatives, no decision-making, just acting on orders. A small part of her, a part hidden deep within her consciousness told her he would never intentionally harm her, '_intentionally'_ being the subjective word. What he intended to do and he intended to _not_ do was more than what his troubled mind could comprehend, and for that, Kagome was sorry.

"Okay." He smiled in suppressed excitement, as he turned to face Kagome, his back facing the door of what Kagome already guessed was his new living arrangement, "We're here. It's not much, but I'm happy. Kay, you ready?"

Kagome could only muster a forced smile as she nodded numbly. _'What's happened to you?' _Was her only coherent thought as a sad smile replaced her forced one.

Opening the door slowly, in a dramatized form, Jai spread his arms open to reveal what he considered his new home, as he smiled proudly at Kagome, anticipating her reaction.

But she had none, only regarding him with sad eyes, realization slowly dawning on her.

"So.. what do you think? It's not too big, but big enough for a family of four. Sit, sit." He ushered Kagome from the doorway, pointing to the worn out chairs by the empty space on her left. The raven-haired girl hesitantly moved further into the apartment, but made no move to sit down.

"There are two rooms," He spoke over his shoulder, making himself busy in the kitchen, "I figured once you, Ayumi and Souta moved in, you and your brother could share a room. It'd be a tight nit, but we'll manage, don't worry sweetheart." He smiled comfortingly.

She was at this point void of all the fear she once held for this misunderstood man. All she felt was an overwhelming sense of sadness. How could she have not seen it?

So she forced a smile, "I'm nineteen now." She wasn't exactly sure why she had said that, but she was hoping that the implication was enough to hint to him the changes that had taken place. That the world had already moved on… without him.

He paused, completely halting his actions as his eyes flickered left to right in silent comprehension. "Oh yeah.." He chuckled forcibly, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Sorry," He apologized sheepishly, "I tend to forget how much you've grown. The last time I saw you, you were still an awkward teenager, but now…" His face became solemn as he tried to hide his expression from Kagome's view.

"Would you like something to drink?" His solemn face was gone, and he was now smiling gently at the girl before him.

She remembered that smile. It was always the same smile he used when he was trying to tell Kagome he'd always forgive her, always let her wrongdoings slide.

Kagome stood rigidly in the middle of the apartment, not replying, not moving and hardly even breathing. Her face betrayed none of the raging emotions within her, but a tear managed to escape her left eye. Softly, regretfully, she whispered, "I'm sorry.."

The gentle smile he once had slipped immediately, now replaced with something indecipherable. He looked away, trying to back himself into the corner as he shook his head and his eyes flickered to either side in confusion, as though he was confined in a box. "Heh.." He forced a laugh, "there's nothing to be sorry for sweetheart, you've done nothing wrong. I understand.." Though his words were forgiving, it was blatantly obvious her apology had triggered something deep within him.

"Jai.." She whispered, carefully approaching him, "I'm really sorry.. for everything. I was young, I didn't know better. But you need help, and we'll get you help. This place isn't for you." She instantly paused the moment she caught his eyes flicker in a moment of unsuppressed betrayal.

She wanted to cry as a strong sense of guilt and regret consumed her. She wanted to scream to the world the injustice of the situation. She had been so blind, so unknowing of the truth. But that was a lie… it wasn't that she was blind or too naive to realize the truth… it was simply that she refused to accept what had been given to her. She was so caught up in holding onto the past, she had ruined her future family. She failed to move on, and seeing others capable of letting go scared her, so she refused to allow those around her to move on as well, because that way, she'd never be alone.

She looked at the man before her. Lost, confused and completely broken. Somehow, she saw a little bit of herself in him. The way she had refused to let go of the memories of her father, was now exactly the way he refused to let go of the memories six long years ago. She understood him. Everyone had moved on, everyone except him. He truly was alone now, and he deserved none of it.

He was still caught up in the memories of his happiest time, for it brought him a sense of solace and rest that his life no longer had. He was depressed… and a schizophrenic. Kagome had seen both sides. The first time since the past six years that Kagome had seen him was at the hospital after her drowning incident. He had showed up, still with that gentle smile on his face… but instead of really seeing him, Kagome was consumed by fear and the idea that Jai had returned with the intent of revenge. She remembered his saddened confused eyes as she lost control of the fear and anger that still raged inside of her upon seeing his face.

She had blamed him for ruining her family, for breaking her mom apart from the precious memories of her beloved papa. And having forced him to leave… she went into a state of uncontrollable frenzy, her anger and fear tearing her up inside as she took her frustrations out on the hospital room. Again, she felt that Jai was responsible for her inability to move on in life.

"Okay sweetheart," Jai muttered shakily, "I think I should take you home now."

Kagome winced in pain, for now, the final most crucial blow had been delivered. _She had been wrong._

She forgot that Jai had always been forgiving of her. So he visited her at the hospital.

She refused to see that Jai had genuinely loved her mom and the family. So she pushed him away.

She failed to realize that Jai was never the one in the wrong. But he was now paying the price of her mistakes.

Oh how wrong she had been.

_**888**_

"I'd give you a 'G' for your driving." Inuyasha's patience was fast running low, and though he was consistently informed that they were 'getting there', the urgency to reach Kagome was outweighing everything. He stared fiercely into the night sky and wondered why of all people this kind of shit always had to happen to him and Kagome. He sulkily thought about the countless millions of people who wouldn't even _dream_ of this stuff, let alone have it happen to them.

"What the hell is a 'G'?" Kouga asked in his deadpan voice, knowing nothing good could ever come out of the hanyou's mouth.

"It stands for, 'Get the fuck off the road you slow bastard!'"

Kouga breathed through his nose and tried to calm his senses.. but to no avail. "Who the fuck are you calling slow you ugly asshole?"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Inuyasha glared ahead of him, "Oh that 'ugly' statement would've hurt _if_ I were gay, but I'm not!" He spat, "So stop trying to come onto me! I've got more important shit on my mind!"

"Oh for fuck's sake! Not this again!"

"God! Could you just shut the fuck up for two damn shitting minutes?!"

"What!!" Kouga nearly slammed on his breaks. If his memory served him well, it was Inuyasha who had not only started the conversation, but had also been the instigator for this quarrel. "You know," He hissed, glaring viciously at the road, "you are so lucky it's Kagome we're looking for, otherwise I would've kicked your ass by now."

"Oh yes, I am _so_ lucky that it's Kagome who's been kidnapped," Inuyasha spat sarcastically, "because heaven forbid, I pray every night for my woman to go missing. Think about what you just said dumb fuck."

"Your woman?" Kouga hissed dangerously, "Would you like to re-phrase that?"

Inuyasha shook his head in disgust at Kouga as he glared cautiously at the wolf, "Your jealously doesn't sit well with me."

"Why?" He taunted, "Jealous that I'm jealous?" Whatever that meant.

The hanyou merely smirked coolly, "Hardly. Let me warn you now, _Kouga_, that every part of Kagome belongs to _me_. Her body, mind and spirit belong to me. Her heart belongs to me. Her soul belongs to me. Thoughts that contain her, belong to me… so now that you know, don't you dare think about her without my permission. And if you even think about asking for my permission, you can piss off!" And Inuyasha was serious….. as stupid as he had sounded… he was serious.

And then the impossible happened. They fell quiet. Silence. Peaceful nothingness… until Kouga had a suggestion.

"You," Kouga stated, stealing an incredulous glance at Inuyasha, "need to go get yourself some professional help."

_**888**_

_The two figures walked separately towards their car, a feeling of loss finally hitting them. It was odd and unfamiliar this feeling of letting go and parting ways. _

_He opened his car door, in the most defeated manner she had ever seen and she couldn't help but feel the tears burning in her eyes. _

_"Thank you.." she spoke gently, ceasing Jai from entering the car. _

_He turned around with a pained look, and immediately Ayumi Higurashi corrected herself, "For signing the papers… I'm.. happy that we're able to reach a compromise." _

_He didn't say anything as he tried to comprehend the reality of it all. A forced smile made its way on his face, but it didn't stay there long._

_For reasons beyond Ayumi, she spoke again, hoping that whatever she was to say would help ease some of their pain. "This is better… for the kids."_

_He nodded solemnly, "I understand." He didn't want this point reinforced. He didn't want to experience the harsh blow of those words. _

_"Okay.." She breathed, dusting some imaginary dust from her skirt, "Good luck Jai."_

_No goodbyes, no farewells… just a heartfelt acknowledgement of his pain, and they were divorced. _

_**888**_

"For the last time, this is my car, so I'm driving!"

"Keh! Doesn't explain why this piece of junk is hardly moving. Where the hell does this Kikyo chick live anyways?"

Kouga looked up to the heavens above and prayed a silent prayer, begging for patience he once thought he possessed. Inuyasha managed to find a flaw in everything remotely related to Kouga, and though his words were only half-hearted, it didn't make it any less annoying. "Let me give you a little insight on Kikyo. You don't want to get on her bad side." He spoke in a flat tone as though he had recited the warning many times before. "And calling her a 'chick' won't exactly go by unpunished."

"Unpunished? Is she some kind of Dominatrix?" Inuyasha asked in a genuinely curious tone. Nothing surprised him much these days. If Kagome's cousin was into shit like that then hey, go crazy, he wasn't exactly any God sent angel to be criticizing anything… other than Kouga.

The driver continued driving, speeding past red lights as he briefly glanced weirdly at Inuyasha, "Right." He decided that not answering his question was the better option. The man was so sarcastic he wasn't sure when he was being serious and when he wasn't.

"So this Dominatrix, how much does she know?"

Kouga sighed, completely giving up on Inuyasha… well it was the hanyou's funeral, not his, "Everything." He replied flatly.

"What's everything?"

He suppressed the urge to growl, "If I knew, we wouldn't be going to Kikyo now would we?" The wolf spat in aggravation.

Inuyasha shook his head and snorted in disgust, "Pathetic." And looked the other way.

Kouga whipped his head at Inuyasha, his patience completely out the window and his demon desires just urging him to lunge at the hanyou, "Well you know shitting negative ten-"

"Eyes on the fucking road!" Inuyasha interjected, resulting in Kouga forcibly tearing his angry glare at him and grudgingly glower at the road. "Fucking incompetence that's what it is."

The wolf simply meditated in his mind, coming to the conclusion that he would never verbally win the hanyou, who seemed to have a retort for every single fucking thing in the universe. Still as he was silently repeating some kind of soothing mantra in his head, he could vaguely make out Inuyasha's voice still bitching on about anything and everything.

For a moment, Kouga was almost too excited when he realized that the silver-haired man's cell phone was shrilly ringing, hoping whoever was on the other line would distract him from his complaining for a _long_ while.

"Think about what I just said to you." Inuyasha chastised sternly at the dumbfounded wolf before flipping his phone open with ease. "What?" He spat in a poorly concealed annoyed tone. "Out… None of your business…" then he went silent for a while, simply listening to the person on the other line speak, "No… no….really…. oh shit on you!... well tell both the bastards I've got gastro, no wait! Tell Naraku I've got gastro, tell Sesshomaru to just fuck off… well Miroku, shouldn't you be thinking of getting out of there if they look intent on stringing you up by the balls?"

Kouga rolled his eyes. What was it that Kagome saw in this bastard?

"Truuuuue….. I'm busy…. Oh no, my phone is running low on battery, it might just cut you off any second… No, I'm not lying!" He cried indignantly…. Before he _manually_ hung up on this Miroku guy.

As he turned the left corner, he could gradually make out the block of apartment Kikyo lived in. It was nothing short of majestic, just like Kikyo. Even under circumstances such as the one he was currently in, Kouga couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the visual imagery that suddenly formed in his mind.

Two strong repelling forces were about to meet, and whatever awaited them in the next few moments would be nothing short of destructive.

_**888**_

**An: **Next chapter, The Inuyasha meets _THE _Kikyo. Lovely.

**Doll secret**


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